


What the Dead Know

by Beautiful_and_Broken



Category: Star Wars - All Media Types, Star Wars Sequel Trilogy
Genre: Action & Romance, Age Difference, Alternate Universe, Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Attempted Rape/Non-Con, Attempted Sexual Assault, Car Accidents, Car Chases, Character Death, Doggy Style, Drunk Driving, F/M, Gratuitous Smut, Gun Violence, Hallucinations, Infidelity, Loss of Parent(s), Minor Character Death, Motorcycles, Murder, Murder Mystery, Mystery, Older Man/Younger Woman, Oral Sex, Scary, Shower Sex, Smut, Stalking, Suspense, Thriller, Violence, Wall Sex
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-04-05
Updated: 2019-07-16
Packaged: 2020-01-04 19:27:30
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 13
Words: 64,047
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18350174
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Beautiful_and_Broken/pseuds/Beautiful_and_Broken
Summary: Rey Kenobi-Vos is a typical junior in college visiting her grandfather Obi-Wan on spring break. At a diner one night, she meets Ben Solo, her mother's high school friend and owner of a local garage. The events that follow soon thrust her into a world of the unknown—a world of danger, mystery, and ultimate tragedy as she and Ben race to unearth secrets of the past before it's too late.





	1. It Happened One Night

**Author's Note:**

> This is my first modern AU fic. Please mind the tags before reading as there are situations in this fic that may cause triggers. I just want to make clear that Ben is not the villain in this story and will not hurt Rey in any way, so you don't have to worry about that. Also, it will alternate back and forth between Rey and Ben's POV, but will mostly be told in Rey's POV. With that being said, I hope you like it.

_"I heard all things in the heaven and in the earth. I heard many things in hell. How, then, am I mad?_

_Hearken! And observe how healthily—how calmly I can tell you the whole story..."_

 

_~Edgar Allan Poe, "The Tell-Tale Heart"_

 

~.~.~.~

 

**Prologue**

 

The light from the flames licked around the face of the enemy, her pale blue eyes boring into me like a dagger into the very heart of innocence. I knew this was the last time, the last chance to breathe, before my time on this Earth would be said and done. Everything we had worked for, every action over the past few weeks, had led to this very moment. 

As she raised the gun steadily in the air, I braced myself, gladly welcoming death, for my spirit would soon join the man I loved in eternity. I heard her finger lightly squeeze the trigger, and felt my heart gloomily beat its last...

 

**Chapter 1: It Happened One Night**

 

**_Rey's POV_ **

 

I sat at the small, round table, absently twirling my straw in my diet soda. I stared blankly down at the book wedged in my right hand. I couldn't make my hazel eyes absorb the words, for my mind was elsewhere. The scent of coffee and bacon saturated the air around me, reminding me of home. Taking a deep breath, I memorized the fragrance and let memories of the past sweep me away.

I remembered my mother, Qi’ra, her long, flowing locks glistening in the sun complimented by her kind smile. My father, Dryden, was by her side, planting gentle kisses on her neck, filling my heart with everlasting joy...

I noisily shut my book, slamming it down on the surface of the diner table. The waitress at the counter looked up briefly from her cleaning, her worried eyes meeting my own. I glanced down and blinked away the tears. My father and mother had been killed by a drunk driver while I was still in high school. A flash of my grandfather Obi-Wan's sad eyes entered my brain for a fleeting second, then quickly dissipated.

Obi-Wan had become a second father to me over the past few years since my parents died. My rock, my strength, my force. To me, spending time with him during my spring break was better than a thousand days elsewhere. When I was with Obi-Wan, I was home.

He was the one who encouraged me to apply to college and try to make something of myself when I graduated high school. With the loss of my parents at such a young age, you can only imagine how lost I felt. Two of the most prominent people in my life were stripped away from me in a split second. I felt robbed. I even cried out to God to take me away as well. I cursed the very air I breathed because my parents weren't able to anymore. My heart ached each time I saw a picture of my mother, or heard about a new art exhibit at the VMFA I thought my father would adore. The absence of their presence was everywhere I turned.

My father's parents moved to Washington, DC, shortly after the accident, but we kept in close contact through phone calls and on Facebook. I missed them dearly, especially my grandmother. I had overheard her lament to Obi-Wan once that I reminded her too much of my father, and the pain was just too overbearing for her to handle living in Jakku any longer. Besides my maternal grandmother, who divorced Obi-Wan long before I was born and also lived out of state, Obi-Wan was the only one there willing to help me pick up the broken pieces of my shattered life.

He suffered, too, though he would never let it show. He missed my mother, his only daughter, more than the desert missed the rain. Sometimes I would even catch him in my mother's old room upstairs, pacing back and forth, fingering the little trinkets and belongings still left from her high school days. I just let him be, and he showed me the same kindness. Memories are all we have of those that we've lost. Why should we ever want to forget?

After being accepted into the University of Richmond, I decided to major in English. I always fancied myself a decent writer and had a love affair with books. They were an escape from the world, a world in which I didn't have to face the reality of my parents' deaths. It was comforting to know that just with the turn of a page, I could be swept away from all of the madness that had become my life.

Now here I was, twenty-one years old, sitting in a nearly-vacant diner on a Saturday night in the small Virginian town of Jakku, with my nose in a book. I was never a socialite or one to stay out until all hours of the night. The local kids were probably out partying or mudding through the woods in Chandrila. They kept Obi-Wan quite busy on nights like tonight; he was the chief of the Jakku Police Department, after all.

The dinging of the bells at the diner's entrance suddenly made me look up from my closed book.

"Evening, Sarah. How's life been treating you?" A tall man donned in a leather jacket called as he entered the diner, carrying a black motorcycle helmet.

My hazel eyes trailed after him as he took a seat at the counter.

"Pretty fair, I guess, Ben. You having the usual?" Sarah, the waitress behind the counter, walked up to meet him and leaned against the opposite side of the bar.

"Yes, ma'am," he answered, setting down his motorcycle helmet on the empty seat next to him.

Sarah placed a coffee cup and saucer on the counter in front of him and filled it to the rim. I picked up my book and pretended to read as I watched the intriguing, yet handsome, man who now commanded my full attention. His wavy, jet-black hair hung down to his shoulders, and he absentmindedly raked his hands through it, pushing it behind his right ear.

"Thanks." Ben unzipped his leather jacket and slid it down his shoulders, revealing a light blue t-shirt.

The fabric hugged his back and arms in a way that accentuated his already well-defined muscles. I had to remind myself to breathe as my eyes took in every inch of his form.

"How's Han doing?" Sarah's voice roused me from my thoughts.

"Pretty good. He's recovering quite nicely from that last stroke," Ben replied, lifting a container of creamer and emptying some of the contents into his coffee.

"That's wonderful news. I was worried about him." The waitress grabbed her washcloth and returned to her cleaning as she spoke, her salt and pepper hair dancing about her shoulders.

"Thanks. Dad's a stubborn old man; he doesn't let anything faze him." He chuckled, taking a generous sip from his yellow cup. "At least he let me take him to the hospital this time."

"Ben, your father has been that way as long as I've known him, before you were even born," Sarah added to the derision, spraying the empty table to my left with cleaner from her bottle.

"I don’t doubt that." Ben glanced at her and then at me. His eyes locked into mine, his eyebrows furrowing.

My heart stopped for a brief moment, and then began to pound like a hammer in my chest. His eyes were the deepest chocolate brown I had ever seen.

"Um..." He looked away as if he'd seen a ghost. "Y-You're not even old enough to be my sister, Sarah."

"Ben Solo, you flatter me too much." Sarah held up a dismissive hand and went back to scrubbing her table.

Ben Solo. I knew that name. It was the name of my mother's high school friend, the one she used to call her 'twin.' That name also belonged to the owner of Solo's Garage and Repair in Chandrila. Obi-Wan was good friends with Ben's father, Han, and doted on him quite often.

"Excuse me, miss." Ben was now standing beside my table, coffee cup in hand. I had been so dazed, I didn't even notice that he had left his seat at the counter.

"Y-Yes" was all I could manage to utter. I could now smell his glorious, woodsy scent, masculine with a hint of musk. It was incredible.

"Are you by any chance Obi-Wan Kenobi's granddaughter? Rachel Vos?" he asked, sweeping his free hand casually through his black hair.

"Rey," I corrected him, looking back down at my soda. No one had called me Rachel in years, not since the unthinkable happened.

"Okay, then, Rey. I'm Ben Solo." He lifted his coffee and swallowed a hearty mouthful. His eyes returned to me as he swallowed. "I knew your mother."

"Yes, she spoke of you often," I told him. My mother had always reminisced about her high school days with Ben and my father. Anytime my mother brought up Ben, my father would always become tense. I had to wonder if there was something else they didn't tell me about their relationship.

"Did she now? Mind if I join you?" Ben questioned, pulling out the chair opposite me, and sat down.

"Be my guest." I placed my book back on the table in front of me.

"What are you reading there?" He pivoted the book so that he could read the title. " _The Complete Works of William Shakespeare_ … your mother would be proud."

"Just some spring break reading… getting ready for finals," I shyly added.

"Finals? As in, college finals? How old are you, Rey?" Ben probed and finished the rest of his coffee in one last sip.

"I'm twenty-one." I raked my right hand through my brown hair and tucked a few strands behind my ear.

"Ah, has it really been that long?" Ben mused, appearing deep in thought. "I remember when you were born."

I could feel my cheeks reddening with the heat of embarrassment as his last words hung in the air. My mother had become pregnant right before she and my father graduated from Jakku High. Their marriage, which Obi-Wan affectionately had referred to as the notorious 'shotgun wedding,' soon followed, but nothing seemed to dishearten my parents. They were so much in love; they had been since the very start. Adjusting to married life well, they welcomed me almost seven months later. A fairytale ending indeed… only to be marred by tragedy sixteen years later.

I frowned, glancing up at my new friend.

"Rey, what's wrong?" Ben placed his large right hand on top of mine, his face full of concern. "I'm sorry. I know it's got to be difficult for you still… it is for me, too. Qi’ra was my best friend. Always will be."

"Mine, too." I fought back the tears, turning my palm upward to greet his. The warmth of his hand atop mine was exhilarating. It was a comforting warmth, something I hadn't felt in a long time.

"You look so much like her… and Dryden, too. It's starting to freak me out just a bit." Ben heartily laughed, lightening the somber mood now hovering over us like a thick fog.

I couldn't help but smile back; the cadence of his laugh was infectious.

"Ah, so you do smile?" Ben mirrored my grin, his brilliant white teeth emerging from beneath his lips.

He ran his thumb gently back and forth over mine.

"When I want to, yes." I let my smile widen as I looked into his brown eyes. I noticed several moles were dotted sporadically across his face, which added to its charm, making him even more handsome. Not to mention the light scruff of a beard that hung about his chin and under his nose.

I wracked my brain to determine how old he was. From what Obi-Wan had told me, he was two years younger than my parents, so that meant he was about seventeen when I was born. He had to be no younger than thirty-eight.

"It just takes the right person, huh?" Ben softly squeezed my hand, his pale pink lips forming into a pout. He was much older than me, but I couldn't help wonder what it would be like to feel those thick lips pressed against mine.

"Yeah… um, sorry." I swiftly took my hand away, cupped my palms around my soda glass, and sucked on the straw, even though the glass was empty.

What the hell was I thinking? I had a boyfriend back at school. Poe would be extremely pissed if he knew I was flirting with someone not that much younger than my father.

"I should be the one who's sorry, Rey. I shouldn't have held your hand like that. You barely know me. It was rude of me," Ben apologized, and I suddenly felt embarrassed all over again. He then glanced over his left shoulder at the clock hanging on the wall behind the counter. "Look, I have to get back to my dad. He's invalid and all by himself at home."

Ben stood up to leave, pulled out his wallet, and threw a few dollars on the table to cover his tab.

"It was nice seeing you again, Rey," he said, grabbing his leather jacket and helmet from the bar. "I've been meaning to come visit Obi-Wan for some time now. Maybe I can take you out to lunch when I do."

"I'd like that." My heart thrilled at his words even though a part of me knew Poe wouldn't approve.

What he didn't know couldn't hurt him, right? Besides, he was in Miami visiting his father over spring break anyway.

"Excellent," he replied, flashing me that brilliant smile again. He threw on his leather jacket and placed the helmet securely over his ebony locks. I noticed a white decal branded the side of the helmet. It was hexagonal in shape with some sort of insignia like a radiating sun in the middle.

"See you soon." His voice was muted by the helmet. "Night, Sarah!"

"Night, Ben! Tell Han I've got some peach cobbler saved for him when he’s up and about again!" Sarah called after him, but he was already out the door.

Seconds later, I heard the loud revving of a motorcycle engine, and it soon faded as he sped out of the parking lot.

 _Ben Solo. What a nice guy_ , I thought.

Smiling, I picked up my book and cracked it open, feeling somewhat happier now that I had met Ben. My mood abruptly faltered when I realized I had turned to _Romeo and Juliet_ , one of my mother's favorite plays by Shakespeare. The somber mood had fatefully returned.

"Is there anything else I can get for you, Rey?" I heard Sarah ask as I closed my book and laid it back on the table.

"No, thanks. I was just leaving." I reached for my canvas messenger bag at my feet and slid my large book into the main pocket.

"I can't believe how grown up you are." Sarah eyed me up and down almost adoringly, placing her hands on each of my shoulders as I stood up from the table. "The spitting image of your-"

"Here you go, Sarah. Thanks for the soda." I handed her a five dollar bill as payment for the drink plus a generous tip, pulling the strap of the messenger bag onto my right shoulder. She confusedly snatched back her arms.

As I bolted for the door, not wanting to hear for the hundredth time how much I resemble my mother, Sarah shouted, "Don't be a stranger now, ya hear?"

I stepped out into the darkness of the night, hugging my arms close to my chest. The air was quite chilly, but at least it wasn't raining as it did quite often in Jakku during the spring.

Walking toward the back of the diner to my red Jeep, my high school graduation present from Obi-Wan, I heard a low scuffling of feet behind me. I froze. Someone had followed me from the diner.

"Hey, Rey, is it?" A rough male voice spoke as I placed my hand on the driver's side door handle.

Deciding to play it safe, I ignored him and opened the door to my Jeep.

"Hey, I'm talking to you!" He angrily boomed, gripping the back of my jean jacket, and flung me up against the side of the Jeep. My messenger bag fell to the pavement, scattering the contents all around us, including my cell phone.

"What do you want?" I screamed at him, tears now staining my eyes. I could see through my tears that he also wore a jean jacket, but his was very old and worn. His short, white hair as well as the paleness of his white skin stood in stark contrast to the darkness of the night.

"I have money in my bag and an iPhone," I offered, panicking.

" _You_ are what I want..." He breathed onto my neck, clenching his fists around both of my arms at the elbows.

"Help m-" I screamed, but he muffled my cries with his palm, slamming my head back against the window of the Jeep. I shrieked in pain, struggling beneath his arms, as he roughly ran his free hand underneath the fabric of my black skirt.

 _Oh, God, he's going to rape me_.

I felt my body stiffen when his fingers hooked onto the elastic band of my panties.

"Just relax, I'll take it nice… and slow." His hand excruciatingly pulled down my panties to my knees and turned me around so that my back was to him. His right hand still gripped me firmly by the mouth to keep me from calling out for help, while his other now proceeded to trail back up my skirt.

"Get the fuck off her!" A husky voice pierced the night air, and the coarse hands of my attacker left my body.

"And just what are you gonna do about it, huh?" I heard him reciprocate just before he went sailing to the pavement below.

I spun around, only to observe his limp body lying face down and motionless on the concrete beside the Jeep. Ben Solo stood beside him, holding his right fist in his opposite palm. He'd obviously punched my attacker and saved me from a night full of God-only-knows what.

"Rey, are you okay?" He hurried up to me, cupping his injured hand around my left cheek. "Did he hurt you?"

"N-No," I stuttered through the sobs that came without warning. I hurriedly pulled up my panties that now hung at my knees. I was completely mortified and heartbroken beyond repair.

Without saying another word, Ben pulled me to him, encasing me with his burly arms. I locked my arms around his neck, weeping as the floodgates spilled wide open. I couldn't resist him, the sensation of his arms around me felt so congenial, so familiar.

"It's okay. You're safe now," he whispered into my ear, pressing his head affectionately on top of mine.

Just as he spoke those words, my attacker picked himself off the pavement and darted from the parking lot of the diner, holding his left shoulder in apparent pain. I returned my head to Ben's warm shoulder, the sobs coming even faster now.

"Just needed to teach him a lesson. He won't hurt you ever again. I promise." Ben sweetly kissed the top of my head, then let me go. I was left in a daze.

What the hell had just happened? And where did Ben come from? I had seen him speed away on his motorcycle not even five minutes ago.

"Rey..." I vaguely remembered Ben's hand waving in front of me. "Hey, do you need me to take you home?"

I snapped out of my zombie-like state, peering up at him through strained eyes. I figured my mascara was probably running in angry streaks down my cheeks.

"No, I think I'll be okay." Wiping my eyes, I bent down and started to frantically retrieve the items from my messenger bag. I couldn't think straight; my mind was becoming all hazy and cloudy. I even felt for a moment that I might pass out. Was I in shock?

"Rey." Ben grabbed my hand to stop my frenetic movements. "We need to go to the police station and report that son of a bitch to Obi-Wan so that he doesn't do this to other women."

"No, no cops." I started to panic again. My attacker would know where to find me if I reported him. What if he followed me home and waited until I was all alone again? What would I do then? Neither Ben nor Obi-Wan would be there to save me a second time.

"And please don't tell Obi-Wan about this."

"Rey, are you crazy?" Ben exasperatedly said, helping me back to a standing position. "That man almost raped you!"

"But he didn't so… no harm done."

I reached down and snatched my messenger bag from the ground. I hopped into the cab of my Jeep and shut the door behind me. Desiring nothing more than to get the hell out of there, I patted the pockets of my jacket, but my keys were nowhere to be found.

"Looking for something?" Ben's fingers dangled the keys tauntingly outside the driver's side window.

I sighed, leaned forward, and placed my forehead dejectedly on the steering wheel.

"Open up. I'm driving you home," Ben said, absolute firmness in his tone.

"Ben..." I protested, but he opened the door anyway. "I think I'm more than capable of driving myself home."

"No, you're in shock. Now, scoot over," he ordered, forcing me over to the passenger side of the Jeep as he positioned himself in the driver's seat.

"Fine." I crossed my arms defiantly over my chest, sliding all the way to the opposite side of the seat. I could already feel the tenderness about my elbows. I secretly hoped my attacker hadn't left behind any visible evidence of what he had done. Obi-Wan would question it. "But I'm not telling Obi-Wan about this."

"Alright," Ben said, jamming the key into the ignition and turning over the engine. "Let's just get you home… and safe."

As we sped off toward Obi-Wan's house, I sat there, stewing from Ben's unwavering resolve. Even though I knew my attacker could possibly return, I just wished my new friend had let me drive myself home and forget this whole mess. Still, another part of me was thrilled to have him near me once again. Giving into the latter, I sighed in ultimate relief and leaned my head against the back of the seat.

"Thank you," I spoke softly. "I don't know what I would've done if you hadn't been there."

"No problem. Glad to help." He tilted his head to the side, flashing me his beautiful smile. He then slipped his right hand on top of my left, patting it gently. I expected him to remove his hand after several seconds, but he didn’t. He just let it rest on top of mine.

Sighing, I relaxed and let the soothing heat from his hand calm me. That was the last thing I remembered before I surrendered and let the darkness of sleep consume me.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you so much for reading! I will be updating on Wednesdays going forward. Please leave kudos and/or comments to let me know what you thought! ~ Dazzy xxoo


	2. The Black Car

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> When we left off, Rey had just met Ben Solo, her mother's high school friend, at a diner in her hometown. As she left to walk to her Jeep, someone tried to assault her, but Ben came to her aid and punched the bastard. Ben offered to take her to the police station to report her attacker, but she just wanted to forget the whole thing. He then drove her home...

****

 

**Chapter 2: The Black Car**

 

**_Rey's POV_ **

 

I woke that next morning in the security of my own bed, wondering if it had all been a dream, a figment of my imagination. I rose up and let the covers sink to my shoulders.

Glancing down at my body, I realized I was still wearing the same clothes from the night before, except for my jean jacket, which had been draped over the bedpost at the foot of the bed. I glanced over the side of my bed, and noticed my navy ballet flats were positioned neatly on the lavender rug.

After driving me home to Obi-Wan's house, Ben Solo must have brought my slumbering body up to my bedroom and placed me in my bed. I didn't remember anything after we pulled out of the diner parking lot in my Jeep. I had passed out from the shock of almost being...

I shuddered as the image of my attacker flickered in my mind's eye. It was, in fact, reality. I had almost been raped. If Ben hadn't been there...

Forcing those thoughts from my brain, I tossed the covers to the side and placed my bare feet on the rug where my shoes lay. My arms ached around the elbows. I pulled up my sleeves to see several misshapen, purplish bruises now adorning my arms. I wondered how I would explain them to Obi-Wan.

I also wondered if Obi-Wan had been home when Ben brought me to my room. Ben probably had quite a bit of explaining to do, judging from the fact we had never met before last night and he had driven my Jeep home. I just hoped Ben had kept his promise and didn't tell Obi-Wan about the attack. Being the police chief, Obi-Wan wouldn't rest until he found the man who did this to me. I just wanted to shut the whole night out of my memory and leave it in the past.

After showering and trying to scrub away any trace of my attacker until my skin turned red, I dressed in a pair of jeans and a long-sleeved, V-neck t-shirt, and headed downstairs to the kitchen. Obi-Wan was seated at the small wooden table, a cup of steaming coffee in one hand, the latest edition of the _Richmond Times Dispatch_ in his other.

"Morning, Rey," Obi-Wan greeted me, his eyes never leaving his Sunday paper.

"Good morning, Obi-Wan," I reciprocated, throwing my arms around his neck from behind and giving him a slight peck on the right cheek. He instantly perked up.

"Hey, what was that for?" He set his coffee mug down, grabbed my hand, and turned slightly in his chair. A tender smile formed under his thick, gray mustache.

"Can't I show some affection towards my grandpa?" I laughed, taking a bowl from the cupboard and reaching for my favorite cereal on the top shelf.

"Yeah, um..." He awkwardly cleared his throat. "It's just, you haven't done that in awhile. It felt… nice."

He pretended to cough, returning to his paper. Obi-Wan was so sweet when he wanted to be. He rarely ever wore his emotions on his sleeve, even though I knew he cared deeply for me. I wouldn't be where I was today if it hadn't been for him.

"Have an interesting night last night?" Obi-Wan inquired as I opened the refrigerator to retrieve some milk for my cereal. I stiffened, feeling his questioning eyes on my back.

What if Ben had told him about what happened at the diner?

"N-no..." I stuttered, reaching for the milk and closing the door to the refrigerator. "Why do you say that?"

"Well, when I got home at two, I peeped into your room to see if you were all right, and you were still wearing the clothes you had on when you left last night."

I sighed in relief. He obviously didn't know about Ben bringing me home, or he would have mentioned it. However, I now had to come up with some lame excuse as to why I'd slept in my clothes.

"I was just exhausted when I got home. I didn't feel like undressing." I poured some milk into my bran cereal and then into a tall glass. My capability of lying was shot all to hell, but I hoped he would at least buy my little fib. It wasn't a complete lie anyway. The attack had completely wiped me out.

"Out at the diner again?" he asked knowingly, looking up at me from his coffee cup, and my heart fell in my chest again. I wondered if Sarah, the waitress from the Niima Diner, had called him at the station to tell him I'd left in such a hurry last night.

"Yeah, just studying for finals." I sat down opposite him at the table with my cereal and cup of milk, eyeing him nervously.

"Rey," he paused, placing his left hand on top of mine from across the table. "It's spring break… go out, have fun, meet some new people. You shouldn't be cooped up at a diner on a Saturday night, or here at home with your ole grandpa."

"Obi-Wan, why would I want to be out with other people my age when I have you here? I came home Friday to visit you and just you." I smiled at him, dipping the spoon into my cereal and taking a mouthful.

"Ah. Well, as you can see, I'm a wealth of entertainment. I have to work every day that you're home," he regretfully spoke as he closed his paper and folded it neatly on the table in front of him.

"I don't mind. Any moment I get to spend with you is worth it." I wasn't lying. I craved his company more than anything. As I'd thought many times before, Obi-Wan was very special to me. I would be ever grateful to him for taking care of me after my parents died.

"You're too good to me, Rey." Obi-Wan peered at me with thoughtful eyes. I could almost detect the evidence of tears forming in them. "You've always been so strong… and caring. Just like your mother."

"Obi-Wan," I ignored the comment about my mother and changed the subject. "You know Solo's Garage and Repair in Chandrila?"

"Of course I do. You've heard me talk about the owner Ben before, and I'm sure your mother did." Obi-Wan appeared a little confused, possibly wondering why I'd abruptly steered the conversation in a different direction. "Why do you ask? Is the Jeep running all right?"

"Well, it has been giving me a little trouble lately," I purposefully lied, taking a sip of my milk. I just wanted to drive by the shop and see if Ben was working. I wanted to thank him again in person for what he had done for me. I also couldn't quite shake the exhilarating feeling I had whenever I thought of him. "Is his garage open on Sundays?"

"I think so. Probably not till after noon, though. It's open every day of the week if I remember correctly." Obi-Wan sipped his coffee and wiped the tip of his mustache with the back of his left hand. "You want me to take it up to Chewie's tomorrow and have him take a look at it? You won't have to drive as far."

"No, that's okay. I just thought since you're such good friends with Ben's dad, he might give me a discount on whatever repairs I needed." I hated lying to Obi-Wan, but I didn't want to explain why I desired to see Ben or how we had met at the diner.

"Well, Chewie's always been fair to me. Plus, we went to high school together, and I've known him longer than Han. Look, Rey." He stood up from the table and straightened the shirt of his police uniform. "I have to get to the station, but if you want to take it to Ben's garage, that's fine with me. I'm sure he'll be honest with you, given the fact that he knew your mother, and he knows I'd kill him if he took advantage of my granddaughter."

"Okay, thanks, Obi-Wan." I smiled as he bent down and kissed my forehead. "Have a good day at work… and be careful."

"You know I always am." Obi-Wan returned my smile, grabbing his gun belt from the coat rack near the front door. "Bye, Rey. Remember what I said. Get out and have some fun today."

"I will," I promised as he shut the door behind him.

Digging into my cereal once again, I knew exactly the plans I had in store for the day ahead. I would venture to Chandrila in the hopes of seeing Ben Solo again.

 

~.~

 

Later that afternoon, I found myself on the road to Chandrila in my red Jeep. Knowing that Ben probably wouldn't mind a little pick-me-up snack, I went by the local Jakku bakery and bought a half dozen blueberry muffins. It was more of a thank-you gift for the night before. Even though I anxiously wanted to forget what had happened, it was something I felt I had to do.

Oh, who was I kidding? Just being near Ben once more was all the encouragement I needed. There was just something about him, and I wanted to find out exactly what that something was.

As I continued on Old Chandrila Road past the flashing caution lights, I glanced into my rearview mirror and noticed a black car with tinted windows following behind me. It was following so closely, if it came any closer, it would hit my back bumper.

I pressed down on the accelerator in an attempt to appease the driver. Maybe I was driving a little too slow for his taste. To my dismay, the car sped up along with me, matching my rate of speed.

"What the hell?" I spat at the rearview mirror.

Slowing down and panicking just a little, I stuck my hand out the driver's side window to wave him around me. I hoped he would pass my Jeep and quell my fears; the driver could have possibly been my attacker returning to seek revenge. Just the very thought of his pale blue eyes rocked me down to the core. I was out traveling on a desolate highway, away from Obi-Wan or any other help for that matter. Ben's garage was still a mile or two away.

The black car continued to trail behind my Jeep, revving its engine provokingly every few seconds. What was even more frustrating was the fact that I couldn't see the driver through the tinted windows. My heart hammered within my chest, for I knew this wasn't some silly teenager playing games. Someone was out for blood, my blood.

I could feel the chills inching their way up and down my spine as I tried to keep a grasp on my composure. It wasn't that much farther to Solo's Garage and Repair, so I bore down on the accelerator, desperately hurling myself forward to safety.

Finally, I saw the shiny red sign of the garage to my left and took a deep breath of relief. Pulling into the garage's parking lot, I maneuvered my vehicle into the first available space. I cautiously glanced out at my side mirrors, and watched as the black car passed the garage without slowing. I turned my head and squinted to try to read the license plate number, but unfortunately, it disappeared around the bend in the road.

Good riddance. Hopefully I would never see that car again.

Knowing that I would be safe now in a public area, I grabbed my box of muffins and headed toward the garage's office. I was so shaken by the experience, I had almost forgotten my purpose for even coming there.

As I entered through the glass door, an electronic buzzer signaled my presence. My sense of smell instantly was assaulted with the familiar aromas of tire rubber and engine oil.

"Hello, ma'am. May I help you?" A friendly man asked as I walked up to the front desk.

"Yes, I'm looking for Ben Solo," I said, taking in the man's appearance. He had a boyish face, but appeared to be about the same age as Ben. He wore mechanic's coveralls bearing a patch with the name Finn stitched in the center and a backwards baseball cap. From the colors decorating the hat, I concluded that he was a Nationals fan.

"May I ask your name, miss?" Finn responded, wiping his grimy hands with a terrycloth rag. I noticed he had a gold wedding band on his left hand.

"It's Rey Vos. I would really like to speak with him, if he's not too busy," I added, and gave Finn a flirty grin for good measure.

"Sure." Finn just stared at me with doe eyes, almost as if he didn't even hear my request the first time.

"Well..." I placed the box of muffins on the desk and tapped my fingers on the countertop. "I would like to see him today, if you don't mind."

"Um… sure. Uh, sorry," he stammered, obviously embarrassed, then walked around the desk toward the door which led to the shop. He paused, his hand on the doorknob, and flashed me a bright smile. "I'm Finn Storm, by the way."

"Charmed, I'm sure." I rolled my eyes, slightly annoyed, when he turned to enter the shop.

After Finn left, I peered out the glass windows surrounding the lobby of the garage, searching for any sign of the black car that had stalked me on the highway. A nervous knot rolled over in my stomach because I knew I'd have to take the twenty-minute drive back home. What if the stalker returned?

"Rey," a familiar voice called as the shop door reopened, startling me. "What are you doing here?"

I turned only to see the face of Ben Solo, a beautiful smile etched across his lips. I smiled in return, my eyes raking over his body. He wore a long-sleeved, button down shirt, similar to Finn's coveralls, and black dress pants. Several of his shirt's top buttons were unfastened, exposing the crest of his pec muscles.

I uncomfortably swallowed and cleared my throat.

"To bring you these." I retrieved the box of muffins from the counter and handed it to him. "A little thank you for last night."

"Rey, you shouldn't have. Really." Ben opened the box and sighed. "I was just being chivalrous like my father always taught me. Plus, I wanted to teach that asshole a lesson. But I'm glad you're here."

Ben's smile stretched further across his face, and I shyly laughed, looking down at the concrete floor. I was probably blushing and embarrassing the hell out of myself.

"Hey, if you have a few minutes, there are some picnic tables out back. You want to have our lunch date now? We can share these," Ben propositioned, holding up the cardboard box.

"Sure, if you're not too busy. I don't want to keep you from more important things."

"Nonsense. I always have time for friends." Ben walked toward the front door, cracking it open, and motioned for me to follow him. "Come on."

He led me toward the rear of the garage to a quaint picnic area. We sat down at one of the two wooden picnic tables, which were positioned under the shade of several dogwood trees. Luckily, the weather had decided to cooperate and provide us with a little warmth from the sun.

"So, what are you studying in college?" Ben asked once we were settled, muffin in hand. He sat across from me at the picnic table, his eyes never leaving my face. I was grateful that he didn't bring up the events of the previous night.

"English. I've always loved to read and write. My mother always read to me when I was little," I replied, taking a bite of my muffin. I frowned at the thought of my mother, but somehow just being around Ben made me feel at ease.

"That would explain that behemoth of a book you were reading last night." He winked at me while enjoying his muffin. "What are you going to do when you graduate? Write a book?"

"Maybe." I chuckled. "I thought I might get a job in journalism, maybe work for the _Washington Post_ or the _Dispatch_."

"Wow, the big time. It seems you've got it all figured out then."

"Not even close," I countered. I knew it would be next to impossible for me to get a decent job at the _Post_. I'd probably end up as some columnist's errand girl or as a clerk in the mailroom. "How about you? When did you decide to go into the garage business?"

"When I was fifteen actually," he began, finishing the last bite of his muffin. "My friend Finn and I used to work on motorbikes for fun. You know, take them apart and rebuild them. I learned a lot about mechanics that way. Just something I fell in love with. When we graduated high school, we took out a loan and bought this old shop from my uncle, who was too ill to run it at the time."

"I love that," I said, watching his face light up as I doted on him.

"What?" he asked, appearing somewhat befuddled.

"The fact that you knew what you wanted to do and went with it right out of high school. You didn't let anyone tell you what you should do or where you should go," I added softly.

"Why? Did Obi-Wan or your parents pressure you to go to college?"

"No, I went willingly. I just admire you for what you've done. Seems like a big task to take up just out of high school." I reached into the box and grabbed another muffin, offering it to my companion.

"Thanks," Ben said, taking the muffin. "Well, it was a labor of love, but I'm passionate about what I do. Finn will tell you the same."

"Ah, Finn." I chortled at the mention of his name.

"You met Finn, huh?" Ben questioned, his mouth full of muffin.

"Yeah, he struck me as a little odd," I confessed, and Ben burst into laughter.

"So it's not just me who finds him a little off?" Ben patted his chest to aid his muffin from getting stuck in his throat while he laughed.

"Nope, but at least he's a Nationals fan, right?"

"Ah, you're speaking my language now," Ben happily stated. "You like baseball?"

"Love it!" I exclaimed, leaning closer to the edge of the table. "I used to go to games all the time with my dad."

"Nice. I love a woman who's into sports," Ben said before clearing his throat. "I mean, I _respect_ a woman who likes sports."

I smiled timidly down at my half eaten muffin. Ben and I seemed to be hitting it off quite well. I couldn't help but wonder what it would be like to date an older man such as Ben. However, Poe's face kept popping into my head each time I even considered it. He would be heartbroken to learn I was interested in someone else, or worse - seeing another man behind his back.

"Listen, Rey..." Ben abruptly reached across the table and took my right hand into his. He stared down at my palm, running the forefinger of his other hand along my lifeline. The action sent pulses throughout the rest of my body. "I know this is going to sound rather forward, and you just went through a horrible experience last night. You can totally say no… but I would like to take you out on a date."

My heart fluttered as he spoke those words. I couldn't even answer him. I was becoming aroused as his fingers continued to trace the lines of my palm.

"I mean, I know you just met me, and you probably aren't interested in an old man like myself, but-"

"I'd love to," I blurted out, grabbing his hands with both of mine. If he'd continued to finger my palm, I didn't know how much longer I'd be able to take it before I jumped across the table and straddled his lap.

Just the thought of doing so made me even more aroused.

"Really? A beautiful woman like yourself isn't taken?" I frowned as he asked that question. Technically, I was taken, and I knew I was going against all my morals, but I decided to lie. A man like Ben Solo—successful, handsome, mature--didn't come along too often.

"No, I'm one hundred percent single," I replied, pulling his left hand up to my face. His fingers instantly molded to my cheek. I sighed into his hand, feeling electricity shoot through me just at his touch. I wondered if he felt it too.

I turned my head slightly and kissed the flesh between his thumb and his palm.

"Rey..." Ben's lips parted, his breath becoming ragged. His eyes widened and his Adam’s apple bobbed as he swallowed hard.

Damn, he was so hot. It wouldn't take much just to lean across the table and press my lips gently to his.

"Hey, Ben!"

The call broke our connection, and Ben snatched back his hand, blinking.

Disappointed, I shook my head and looked to my left as one of Ben's employees came running up to us.

"Oh, sorry, boss, I didn’t realize you were _busy_."

"It's okay, Artoo. What's up?" Ben gave me an apologetic look before turning to his mechanic.

"Mrs. Tarkin is back, complaining about her squeaky brakes again," the mechanic informed, rolling his eyes, and gave me a friendly wave. "Who's this?"

"Obi-Wan Kenobi's granddaughter, Rey Vos." Ben turned back to me. "She's home from college, visiting Obi-Wan for spring break."

"Nice to meet you. I'm Artoo. Sorry to hear about your mom and dad," he said, extending his greasy hand to shake mine.

"Don't be. It was a long time ago." I looked down at his hand hesitantly.

"Uh, sorry, my hands are filthy." He hurriedly wiped his palms on his coveralls, then shook my hand.

"It's okay," I said, laughing. "It's nice to meet you, too."

"Rey, I have to take care of this customer. She tends to bully the guys around if I'm not there. A real pain in the ass." Ben winked at me, taking the muffin box from the table. "How 'bout I pick you up at Obi-Wan's house tomorrow night around seven?"

"Sounds great," I replied, the smile returning to my face. Then I remembered the events leading up to my arrival at the garage. "Um, Ben, before you go, I need to talk to you about something else."

"Can it wait until tomorrow night? I really have to get to this customer." Ben looked regretful, but I knew I couldn't bother him with my problems at the moment.

"Sure," I simply said, feeling a little dejected.

"Good. See you then. Thanks again for the muffins." Ben grinned before joining Artoo, who was already hurrying back toward the shop.

As I watched them disappear into the rear entrance of the garage, I overheard Artoo say, "You dog, you! How old is she, like twenty?" and then "Hey, are those muffins?"

I couldn't help but laugh at Artoo; he was very perceptive indeed.

I walked back toward my Jeep, feeling somewhat elated that things had progressed so quickly with Ben. I knew I would have to explain my whereabouts tomorrow night to Obi-Wan, but he shouldn't mind. Didn't he say earlier that he wanted me to get out and meet new people over my break instead of being cooped up in the house? Besides, he knew Ben; I just hoped he wouldn't object because of the seventeen year age difference. Obi-Wan did have a legal right to wield a shotgun. I laughed quietly to myself at the image as I opened the door.

Pulling back onto Old Chandrila Road, I flipped on the radio and sang along with the familiar tune. I strummed my fingers on the steering wheel to the beat of the music, feeling truly happy again for the first time in years.

A blaring horn suddenly interrupted my contented mood. I hurriedly turned down the volume on the radio and took a glimpse into the rearview mirror. My heart dropped into the pit of my stomach. The ominous black car had returned.

"Shit!" I said aloud, pounding my fists against the steering wheel. "What do you want?"

The horn continued to beep as I accelerated down the road towards Jakku. Thoughts of every horrific scenario started to flood my mind. What would happen if I stopped? Would he pass me and continue on down the highway as he did before? Would he race from his car, grab hold of me, and drag me to his car? Anything was possible at this point.

Speeding up, the black car abruptly swerved and flew into the left lane. I heard the engine rev as it sped up beside me, daring me to take it on in a race. It jerked back and forth to the side tauntingly, acting as if it might slam into me at any given second.

I stared straight ahead at the road before me, pretending not to notice, and trying not to let him intimidate me. However, it was completely impossible. I could feel the tears already rimming my eyes, and I knew my life was in danger. The driver of the car beside me obviously wanted me dead, or at least wanted to scare the shit out of me. He was doing pretty well on the latter so far.

An oncoming car suddenly appeared over the horizon, and I darted my eyes toward the black car beside me. If the driver didn't move over, the two cars would crash into each other right beside me. I feared more for the driver of the oncoming car; they didn't have a clue as to the madness of the man behind the wheel of the other.

The red car hurtling toward us began to blare its horn in an attempt to make the black car move over into its rightful lane. It didn't budge. A feeling of ultimate dread tugged painfully at my heartstrings, knowing I might be the cause of someone's untimely demise.

The cars inched closer and closer, and just when I thought all hope was lost, the black car swerved back into the lane behind my Jeep, spinning on its wheels and branding the pavement with angry skid marks.

The red car passed by us, the driver bearing down on the horn and flipping off the driver of the black car behind me. I took a breath in relief, wanting desperately to get back to Jakku.

The black car still continued to pursue my red Jeep as I crossed the Jakku city limits. I couldn't very well drive home; he would know where I lived if I did. Deciding my best course of action would be to drive to the police station, I increased the speed of my car and made the necessary turns toward Obi-Wan's office.

Finally reaching my destination and steering my Jeep into the police station's parking lot, I glanced into the rearview mirror. The black car had vanished without a trace. Taking a deep breath, I pulled my vehicle into the spot beside Obi-Wan's cruiser and dashed from the Jeep, messenger bag in hand.

"Rey, what's wrong?" Obi-Wan stood up from his desk the second I entered the double doors of the police station, taking in my panicked expression. "Is the Jeep okay?"

"Someone's following me, Obi-Wan," I confessed, not caring at the moment if he knew someone was after me.

"What do you mean someone's following you? Did you get the license plate number?" Obi-Wan asked, placing his hands on my shoulders and looking me straight in the eyes.

"No, but it was a two-door black car with dark tinted windows. I couldn't see the driver," I revealed, shaking like a leaf. "Can you please just drive me home?"

"Okay, Rey." Obi-Wan released his grip on my shoulders and turned to one of his deputies. "Nien, get a few officers out and look for a two-door black car with tinted windows. Run the plates and see if this SOB has a record."

"Sure thing, chief," Deputy Nien Nunb called, before reaching for his jacket and heading out to his cruiser.

"Ok, Rey, let's get you home." Obi-Wan wrapped his right arm around my shoulders. "I'll bring your Jeep home tomorrow."

"Thanks, Obi-Wan," I said, showing my gratitude to my grandfather as he led me out the door to his police car.

Someone had saved me from imminent danger once again, but I had to wonder… how much longer would it be before my luck ran out?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Who do you think is pursuing Rey? What are your theories as to why? If you read my notes at the beginning of this fic, you know that Ben is not the villain, but how do you think he will play into this whole situation now that they've met? Please leave me your thoughts and/or kudos. Thank you for reading! ~Dazzy xxoo


	3. Violent Ends

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> When we left off... 
> 
> Rey visited Ben at his garage in Chandrila. On the way, she was followed by a black car. Ben and Rey talked outside as they enjoyed the muffins she brought him. He asked her out on a date. She agreed. As she drove back home to Jakku, the black car continued to follow her and almost caused Rey and another car to wreck. Rey rushed to the police station where Obi-Wan offered to drive her home and sent another cop out to look for the black car.
> 
> ***Warning: This chapter contains a scene of violence.***

_"These violent delights have violent ends."_

_~William Shakespeare, Romeo and Juliet_

 

 

**Chapter 3: Violent Ends**

 

**Rey's POV**

 

"Obi-Wan, there's something I need to tell you," I nervously admitted, watching the blur of trees from the passenger side window as he drove me home from the Jakku police station.

I had made up my mind. I was going to tell Obi-Wan about the attack at the diner. With the black car now in pursuit of me, I realized how much I was risking letting my secret go unspoken. I knew the two events were related somehow. It was just too much of a coincidence, and there was no telling what plans the driver or my attacker had in store for me.

"What's that, Rey?" Obi-Wan sniffed and turned a wandering eye, his hands firmly fastened on the cruiser's steering wheel. He then picked up his foam coffee cup from its holder, taking a quick sip.

I hesitated. My hands toyed absently with the straps of my messenger bag as my mind vividly replayed the events of the previous night. I could see my attacker's pale blue eyes, his dirty-white hair, the menacing smirk painted on his lips. I closed my hazel eyes and shuddered, reliving the horror that shot through my body when I felt his hand graze my inner thigh...

"Rey, are you okay, sweetheart?" Obi-Wan placed his right hand on my knee.

I flinched at the gesture and opened my eyes.

"Sorry, Obi-Wan," I said, blinking away my twisted thoughts. "I zoned out there for a minute."

"You said you had something to tell me," Obi-Wan reminded me, patting my knee, and then returned his hand to the steering wheel.

"Yeah, um..." I began, trying to think of the best way to tell him. "Something happened at the diner last night."

"Ah, yes." He chuckled. "You met Ben Solo."

My eyes widened, peering over at my grandfather in shock.

"How do you know that?" I wondered how he would have known about my meeting Ben at the diner. I hadn't told a soul in fear of Obi-Wan finding out about the attack.

"Han called me at the station this morning and invited us over for a cookout at his place next weekend before you head back to UR," Obi-Wan said, a slight smile on his face. "He also told me Ben couldn't stop talking about you."

"Oh," I simply replied, relishing in the thought of Ben telling his father about me. I must have really made an impression on him last night.

"Is that why you went to his garage today? To see him again?"

I blushed at Obi-Wan's words, biting my lower lip. "Well, I just wanted to thank-"

"It's all right," he interjected. "I don't mind you hanging out with Ben. It's just... he's almost twice your age, Rey. Anyway, I thought you had a boyfriend back at school. What was his name again?"

"Poe," I answered, rolling my eyes like a preteen, and glanced back out the window. "Ben and I are just friends, Obi-Wan. Nothing more. Besides, I only just met him last night. It's not like I'm going to marry him or anything."

"I know. I'm just looking out for you, Rey," my grandfather added as he steered the car into our home's driveway. "I just don't want you or anyone else hurt in this. That's all I meant. You're only going to be here for a week, and then you'll be headed back to Richmond."

I thought about what Obi-Wan had said, knowing exactly the meaning of his words. He was afraid of me hurting Poe, and that was the last thing I wanted to do.

Poe Dameron and I had met our sophomore year in our British Lit class at the University of Richmond. It was the first day of the spring semester, and I was late to class as usual.

Receiving the glare of death from my professor, Dr. Vader, I timidly walked into the classroom and took the only seat left in the room, the desk right beside Poe. I hurriedly opened my textbook to the poems of John Donne and tried to get caught up, when I felt someone's eyes watching me. I turned and saw Poe's brown eyes staring back at me with such tenderness. A crooked smile soon formed on his lips. My heart fluttered. He was absolutely gorgeous. I blushed, returning to my poems. Several minutes later, I stole another glance at my new admirer, and his eyes were still focused on me.

After class, Poe asked me out for a cup of coffee. We ended up talking for the rest of the afternoon and into the night about school, our majors, and our plans for after we graduated over countless cups of coffee. Poe was born in Guatemala, but his family had moved to the United States, Florida to be exact, when he was only a baby. I had never connected with another person in the way we connected in those few hours. It was one of the best nights of my life, and I never wanted it to end.

At about one in the morning, we decided to call it a night, and like a gentleman, Poe offered to escort me back to my dorm. Before I could even reach for my keys, he threw me up against the door, determinedly pressing his lips against mine. I didn't fight it; I had been secretly fantasizing about him doing that very same thing all evening.

Needless to say, Poe didn't make it back to his dorm that night.

The sound of Obi-Wan's police radio roused me from my thoughts as he placed the car in park. I took a deep breath, feeling the heat in my cheeks from just the memory of my first time with Poe. I attempted to distract myself by listening to the menagerie of code words now emanating from the speaker.

"Looks like they've found our guy," Obi-Wan happily said, picking up the radio's handheld microphone and reciting his reply. He then turned to me. "Rey, I've gotta head back to the station. Nien ran the guy's prints, and your so-called stalker has a habit of following women and roughing them up a bit. He's wanted in three states."

"Thank God," I muttered, taking another deep breath. This time, it was a breath of relief. Maybe I wouldn't have to tell Obi-Wan about the attack after all. They had arrested the man responsible, and now he was going to jail. He could rot there for all I cared.

"Why don't you go on in and order a pizza? You can rest easy now that we've caught that SOB." Obi-Wan reached for his wallet in the back pocket of his trousers and handed me a twenty-dollar bill. "I want to see the look in that bastard's eyes when I throw him in a cell and lock the bars behind him. I want it to be the last time he ever even thinks about touching a woman again."

"Thanks, Obi-Wan." I smiled and kissed him on the cheek. "Oh, and by the way, Ben's coming over tomorrow night to take me out on a date."

"Just friends, huh?" Obi-Wan scoffed as I opened the passenger door to his cruiser. "I knew it!"

I answered my grandfather with a coy wink and exited the car. Through the windshield, I watched him shake his head and slowly back out of the driveway.

Laughing, I took the steps to the front door two at a time. Flinging open the door, I threw my messenger bag on the wooden floor and pressed my body flat against the doorframe.

My mind could only focus on one single thought now that I was out of harm's way...

Ben Solo.

 

~.~

 

I spent my Monday mentally preparing myself for my date with Ben. I also made all the normal physical preparations any woman would do before a first date with a man. I washed my hair, shaved my legs, waxed (yes, I waxed), and trimmed my eyebrows.

While blow-drying my hair, I considered the myriad of opportunities the night could possibly bring. Most of all, I was looking forward to getting to know Ben more. He was just so intriguing to me. Maybe it was the fact he knew my parents probably better than anyone else had before they died. Then again, maybe it was the fact that every time I caught a glimpse of Ben's gorgeous smile, my stomach did backflips.

Furthermore, Obi-Wan obviously didn't object to Ben and me spending time together while I was home for spring break, judging from his reaction in the car. Everything seemed to be falling into place for me to form a relationship with Ben. I just hoped he felt the same way about me.

The doorbell rang at exactly seven o'clock that evening. I raced down the stairs, my heart already doing somersaults within my chest. I was wearing my favorite outfit, a blue long-sleeved t-shirt that hung slightly off my shoulders and a jean mini-skirt over black leggings. My father always told me that he loved it when I wore blue. I looked so much like my mother, he once doted.

"Ben, it's nice to see you again." Obi-Wan's voice made me stop on the last step. I watched as he opened the front door and shook Ben's hand.

I felt the rush of embarrassment begin to stream throughout my body, but I knew Obi-Wan only meant well. I hadn't dated that many boys in high school; Poe had been my first and only boyfriend, my first everything when it came to men. Since my parents weren't there to object, I guess Obi-Wan found it fitting to be protective of his only granddaughter.

"Nice to see you too, Chief Kenobi," Ben replied, stepping inside the doorway.

The sight of him nearly took my breath away. He was wearing a gray t-shirt over faded jeans and a leather motorcycle jacket. His head immediately turned in my direction, his brown eyes smoldering as he took in my appearance.

"Ben, you've known me all your life. None of that 'Chief Kenobi' business. Call me Obi-Wan," my grandfather insisted.

"Sorry, Obi-Wan," Ben said, never taking his eyes off me. "Are you ready, Rey?"

"Uh, yeah." I shook my head in an attempt to revive myself from my daze, and reached for my handbag and jean jacket on the table by the front door.

"Rey," Obi-Wan called as Ben held open the door for me. "I'll be at the station tonight if you need me. Have… fun." He almost seemed to have tears in his eyes.

"Don't worry, Obi-Wan. I'll take good care of her," Ben assured him, watching my grandfather with tender eyes.

"I don't doubt that, Ben." Obi-Wan crossed his arms over his chest and leaned against the bottom post of the stairs, giving my date a fierce look of intimidation. "Just looking out for my granddaughter."

"We'll be home before midnight, Dad," I jokingly remarked, throwing my arms around his neck. He sighed, giving me a quick peck on the side of my forehead. "Don't wait up."

"Oh, you know I will." Obi-Wan snorted and pressed his lips into a hard line. "Now, get out of here before I change my mind."

"Night, Obi-Wan," Ben said, placing his hand at the small of my back as I exited the house.

Ben and I walked in silence to the end of the driveway. I looked toward the street, searching for his black motorcycle, but it was nowhere to be found. I frowned, somewhat confused.

"Where's your bike, Ben?" I asked, spinning around on my heels to face him.

"Uh, we're taking my Impala." He gestured toward the old restored Chevy parked in front of the house. "I didn't think you'd want to ride my bike on our first date."

 _How considerate_ , I thought.

He then winked at me, reaching for my hand. "Come on."

Ben opened the passenger side door for me and circled around to the driver's side of the car.

"I hope you don't mind," he said, turning the key in the ignition. "I got us reservations at Chalmun’s for dinner tonight. Is that okay?"

I smiled. It was more than okay. Chalmun’s was by far the best restaurant in Jakku, known all across Central Virginia for their impeccable steaks. Obi-Wan had taken me there to celebrate my high school graduation three years before. I had such fond memories of that place.

"Sure, I love their steaks," I told Ben, and he laughed. "What?"

"Steak? Really?" He pulled the black Impala onto the street toward downtown Jakku. "I'd never peg you as a steak girl."

"Ha," I said aloud, watching the way his eyes danced with his laughter. "What makes you say that?"

"Nothing. It's just you're so thin like your mother always was." Ben looked over at me. "I thought you might have been a vegetarian."

"Watch it, Ben Solo." I gave him an upturned eyebrow. "I'll make you turn this car around right now."

"Okay, I give." He tried to mask his laughter, forcing his lips closed. "So, would it be too intrusive if I asked what else you liked to eat?"

"Not at all." I grinned, looking down at my hands folded in my lap.

We continued to make small talk about our likes and dislikes when it came to food until we arrived at the restaurant. Ben chivalrously opened the car door and the restaurant's door for me. Once inside, the hostess greeted us and led us to a secluded table near the back of the dining room.

After ordering our steaks and baked potatoes, I decided to break the silence between us with the question that had been weighing heavily on my mind the entire evening.

"Ben, how did you become friends with my parents?" I asked and watched him almost spit out his sip of beer. "Oh, I'm sorry."

"No, it's okay," he choked out, wiping his lips with his cloth napkin. "That question just caught me by surprise."

"I understand if you don't want to talk about them," I relayed, placing my napkin in my lap. "It's still hard for me, too."

Ben took another sip of his beer to clear his throat. "Well, I just didn't think you'd want to talk about them tonight. I'm surprised you actually brought them up, to tell you the truth."

"Why's that?" I questioned, placing my right elbow on the table and cradling my face with my hand.

"What exactly did Qi’ra tell you about me?" He answered my question with a question, a stern look on his face.

"Just that you were her best friend growing up, and that you two used to do all sorts of things together with my dad," I revealed, playing with the fork beside my plate with my free hand.

"Did she now?" His expression appeared skeptical. "Did she say anything else?"

"Not much else, except that she cared for you very much." I picked up my wine and took a drink of the Merlot, looking up at him from behind the glass. I swallowed and set the glass back down, preparing for the moment of truth. "Why? Was there something else?"

"Rey-" Ben hesitated, glancing down at his empty appetizer plate. He finally sighed. "I was in love with your mother."

He then peered up at me with dejected eyes.

"What?" I said softly, tears starting to rim my eyes.

The whole night came crashing down upon me with his last words. I couldn't believe it. I had half a mind to run for the nearest exit, but I decided to stay and hear him out. Maybe, I had heard him wrong the first time.

Ben released a deep breath, shifting uncomfortably in his chair.

"Qi’ra started dating your father their junior year of high school," he began, not quite meeting my eyes. "I realized my true feelings for her when I saw them together for the first time. That summer, I finally mustered up enough courage to tell her, but she told me she only thought of me as a friend. Still, I didn't give up. My persistence got so bad, your father and I ended up getting into a fistfight at their prom. I'd been drinking, and it's not something I'm proud of, but it happened. Your father gave me a black eye and a bloody lip that night."

He laughed, his eyes darting up at me. "But I deserved it."

"Okay..." I whispered, a little infuriated by what he was telling me.

Why didn't my mom ever tell me that Ben had romantic feelings toward her? No wonder my dad always tensed up when she referred to her past with Ben. It all made perfect sense now. Part of me began to wonder if he'd asked me out only because I reminded him so much of her. I was just some look-a-like to fulfill his unrequited fantasies of being with my mother. I started to feel sick to my stomach.

"Our friendship became strained after that." He looked away, possibly lost in the hurtful memories of the past. "Then I found out two weeks later that she was pregnant."

"Look, Ben," I said, fuming, and reached for my handbag. "I don't know what your intentions were in asking me out tonight, but I'm not my mother."

"Whoa, hey, Rey." He stretched his right arm across the table to stop me from leaving. "That's not why I asked you out. Sure, you look similar to her, but I just wanted to get to know my best friend's daughter. Is that such a crime?"

He stared at me with those big, puppy-dog eyes, and I was a goner. He was just too beautiful to resist. Maybe I should hear him out and not let my mind jump to conclusions, I thought. He really did seem genuine. Plus, I owed him the decency of staying; he did save me from my attacker and had kept his promise not to tell Obi-Wan.

"I guess not." I returned my handbag to the empty seat beside me, huffing. "What would you like to know?"

"What's your favorite color?" Ben's grin soared across his face as he leaned toward the center of the table.

"Green," I replied, exaggeratedly rolling my eyes.

"Favorite movie?" he posed.

" _The Notebook_ ," I sternly said, knowing he would probably cringe at my choice of a romantic drama.

"Really? I thought I was the only one who liked that movie." His eyes sparkled along with his smile. He had to be joking. Every man on Earth hated that movie.

"You liked _The Notebook_?" I casually asked, unconvinced.

"Of course. The ending was great. Even though the girl loved her fiancé, she ended up choosing her first-"

Ben's voice trailed off, realizing exactly what he was saying. He looked at me with worried eyes. "Sorry, Rey."

"So, what other sports do you like besides baseball?" I changed the subject, not even acknowledging his last statement, and scooped up my wineglass with my right hand.

Throwing my head back, I took a giant gulp of red wine. This was going to be a long night.

 

~.~

 

"So, they caught the guy," I told Ben as we walked along the shores of the James River.

After dinner, Ben had suggested that we take a stroll along his favorite strip of the river in Chandrila. I'd always loved the river when I was a little girl. The distinct scent of mud and rotting moss in the air took me back to the happier times of my childhood.

"What guy? You mean the guy from the diner?" Ben stopped, angling his body toward me. I noticed how the soft moonlight added a silvery glow to his black hair. I couldn't look away. "Did you tell Obi-Wan what happened?"

"No, well," I began, and we continued our walk along the beach. "When I left your garage yesterday, someone was following me in a black car. I drove straight to the police station to tell Obi-Wan, and he sent out several squad cars to hunt the driver down. When they arrested him, they found out he was wanted in three states for sexual assault."

"No kidding," Ben said, scowling. "I'm so glad they caught that asshole. Serves him right for what he did to you. If your father was still alive… sorry, there I go again."

"No worries, Ben." I placed a hand on his shoulder.

"Well..." He smiled from ear to ear, his beautiful eyes twinkling in the moonlight. He glanced down at my hand on his shoulder as if he were surprised that I touched him. "So I take it you forgive me for being rude earlier at dinner."

" _Rude_ as in telling me the truth about your relationship with my mother?" I took my hand away and shoved it into the pocket of my jean jacket.

He nodded, looking out toward the horizon.

"Yeah, that's not something you tell a woman you just met… that you were once in love with her mother. I'm surprised you didn't punch my lights out and call Obi-Wan to come pick you up."

"Oh, I considered it." I smiled, chuckling too low for him to hear. "I found it just a little awkward to say the least."

"I know, I'm an idiot," he said, flashing me his gorgeous smile. He couldn't be an idiot even if he tried.

"I'm actually glad that you told me about it up front. I would've been extremely pissed if you had waited to tell me on our third or fourth date," I admitted as we came upon a driftwood log lying parallel to our path.

I freed my hands from my pockets and scaled the log, holding out my arms for balance.

"You seem mighty confident I'm going to ask you out again." Ben walked along beside me, spotting me with his arms, as I traveled down the length of the dead tree.

"You're not?" I questioned, leaping off the end of the log.

"I didn't say that." He pursed his lips, his eyes softening.

My heart skipped a beat, and I darted my eyes from his, beginning to trod along our path again.

Ben caught up to me and abruptly pulled me to him, placing his hands at my waist. I instinctively coiled my arms around his neck, watching his brown eyes as his head leaned toward mine.

"You're so beautiful, Rey." His lips inched closer to mine.

My heart began to beat all the way into my ears. I wasn't sure if it was the wine talking or his breath that was intoxicating me.

"You know, you really don't look that much like your mother." He brushed several loose strands of my brown hair from my face. "You look like Rey to me."

I closed the gap between us and pressed my lips eagerly to his. He immediately reciprocated, caressing my lips with an endless fervor. I rose up on my tiptoes to gain better access to his lips.

Jolts of electricity surged throughout my body, causing me to almost become lightheaded. I ran my hands up his long neck and fisted my fingers in his shoulder-length, black locks. Our kisses became more urgent, and he gripped me firmly at the waist, pressing his body further into mine. The heat from his body was inebriating, enveloping me like a warm, fleece blanket.

"Rey," he breathed, breaking off our kiss. My lips instantly ached from being apart from his.

Ben leaned in and placed his forehead to mine. "I'm sorry."

"Ben, please stop apologizing," I said, looking deep into his dark eyes. My breaths were just as uneven as his. "I wanted that probably more than you did."

"Impossible." He chuckled, cupping his strong hands around my face. "Do you want me to do it again?"

He arched his right eyebrow, his eyes concentrating on my lips.

"Fuck yeah," I responded, grabbing his head with both of my hands.

I forced my lips back to his, darting my tongue into his mouth. His tongue soon danced along with mine, and he lifted my body so that I could wrap my legs around his waist. He pressed my back up against a nearby tree.

"Ugh," I grunted, throwing my head back, as he lips found my neck. I could feel his growing erection pressing into my inner thigh. It took all the strength I had not to grind against it.

After several more seconds of lip lock, Ben placed my feet back on the sand again.

"Yeah, um..." Ben looked dazed, his lips plump from devouring mine. He scratched his forehead. "Wanna go for some ice cream? I know a really great place."

"Is this a trick?" I tugged on my shirt to vent it, feeling a little woozy from our kiss. " _Ice cream_ isn't code for something else, is it?"

Ben smirked, and I noticed he now sported a slight cowlick from my handiwork.

" _Ice cream_ means ice cream I promise."

Just as he spoke those words, I felt several drops of rain hit the top of my head.

"Come on. Let's go." Ben took my hand into his, and we paced back down the shore to his waiting car like two teenagers in love.

I delighted in the sensation of his skin touching mine. His hand was so warm, so familiar; it fit into my hand just right, almost like a glove. When we reached the car, he opened the passenger side door for me.

"Your chariot, my lady," Ben joked, winking at me.

"Thank you, good sir." I returned his wink, sliding into the seat of the car.

We sped down the two lane highway, stealing glances at each other as we went. The memory of his kiss lingered on my swollen lips. I closed my eyes, listening to the hypnotic sounds of the rain pounding the roof of the car, and relived the whole experience. I licked my lips, longing to feel his large, strong hands on my skin once more.

"Here it is," Ben said, and I opened my eyes. "Best ice cream in the whole state of Virginia. Their coffee's not bad either."

I blinked, watching a large neon sign come into view through the downpour. It read, "Mos Eisley's Espresso and Ice Cream." A faded picture of two suns descending upon a horizon was positioned above the lettering.

Ben steered the car into the parking lot, which was completely empty, and pulled into a spot near the side entrance of the shop. The shop looked more like a small convenience store than a ice cream parlor, but I gave Ben the benefit of the doubt.

"I'll save you from getting wet." He shifted the car into park. "What's your favorite flavor?"

"Chocolate," I whispered, focusing on his lips.

"Ah, my favorite, too." He smiled, exiting the car, and pulled up his jacket so that it was covering his head. "Be right back. Don't go anywhere."

I chuckled quietly to myself as my eyes followed him into the ice cream shop. The night had been such a whirlwind, but the instant his lips met mine, time just seemed to stand still. I had never felt such a rush from just kissing someone before. It was best feeling I'd ever had, even better than the first time Poe and I had kissed.

Poe. I began to worry about his reaction to my unfaithfulness. However, remembering Ben's warm arms around me, I found myself not caring at all what Poe thought. Ben was foremost in my mind, and I knew that it was the start of something wonderful and real. I couldn't deny the feelings now overpowering my heart.

"Hey, miss." A finger tapped on the window right beside my face.

I turned and squinted through the raindrops on the glass, only to see those haunting blue eyes staring back at me. My pulse began to quicken, adrenaline flushing its way through my veins. He had found me once again. Obi-Wan had obviously arrested the wrong man.

Without even thinking to lock the car door to prevent him entrance, I screamed at the top of my lungs. I knew there was nowhere to run and nowhere to hide. No one could hear my cries over the thunderous rain, not even Ben.

My attacker gripped the handle of the door, violently flinging it open. He leaned his white-haired head into the car, hissing, and reached over to unhook my seatbelt with one hand. I writhed and struggled in my seat to fight off his arms as they tugged at my legs, pulling me from the car. My back hit the wet cement with a thud, and I soon felt his hand clasp tightly around my mouth.

"Don't say a word, and I'll make this real quick. You won't feel a thing." He hoisted my body into his arms, my limbs flailing all about him.

Opening the driver's side of his truck, he tossed me onto the seat. My navy ballet flats went soaring off my feet, lost to the puddles below.

"Ben!" I immediately sat up, but he grabbed onto my arms.

"What did I tell you, bitch?" He brutally slapped me across the face, the force turning my head completely to the side. "I told you to shut the hell up!"

Tears flooded my eyes as I felt blood begin to seep from my bottom lip.

"Let's see how you handle a real man!" he excitedly exclaimed, forcing my body down on the seat and climbing into the truck.

"That’s funny because I definitely don’t see one!" I heard Ben's loud voice coming from outside the truck.

"You again?" My attacker turned around to face him, sliding out the truck. "You just don't know when to quit, do you?"

"You obviously don't either!" Ben boomed in response.

The next thing I heard was the sound of a body hitting the drenched pavement.

I shot up from the seat of the truck, only to see Ben pounding the body of my attacker with a piece of plywood.

"Ben, stop! What are you doing?" I leapt from the truck, watching in horror as he continued to pummel the man countless more times.

He didn't hear me. Anger and hate had completely taken over his body.

"Ben, please!" I broke into sobs, sinking down the pavement below. I placed my head in my hands, the echoes of each hit reverberating in my ears.

I swayed back and forth, my body becoming even more soaked by the rain. I didn't know where my tears ended and where the drops of rain began anymore.

And then… silence.

I looked up from my hands, and Ben rocked back on his heels, trembling, as he struggled to stand. He finally collapsed to the ground, and the two by four fell languidly from his right hand, splashing water all around him.

"Ben," I whispered, and his eyes flickered toward me. "What have you done?"

He held his head down, staring blankly at the mangled body before him.

Crawling on my knees, I went to him and wrapped my arms around his shoulders. He didn't respond; his wide eyes still focused on the lifeless body of my attacker.

As I held him there, in those dismal moments, I knew then that my life would never be the same.

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So, what do you think? This is the moment I've been building up to. We'll learn who this guy is and why he possibly might have been stalking Rey in the next chapter. Thanks for reading! ~ Dazzy xxoo


	4. Say Goodnight

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> When we left off... 
> 
> The officers caught the guy in the black car and arrested him. Rey and Ben went on their first date. Ben confessed that he had once been in love with Rey's mother, making her almost want to leave, but she decided to stay and hear him out. They went for a walk along the river after dinner and had several make-out sessions. Ben then took her for ice cream, but it was raining, so he decided to get the ice cream for her without her having to leave the car. When he came back, Rey was being attacked again by the same man. Ben was so furious that he beat the guy to death with a piece of wood.

__

 

_"Cowards die many times before their deaths;_

_the valiant never taste of death but once."_

_~William Shakespeare, Julius Caesar_

 

~.~.~.~

 

**Chapter 4: Say Goodnight**

 

**Rey's POV**

 

Ben said nothing as the merciless rain continued to fall all around us. I held him tightly against my chest, my mind reeling at the situation with which we were now faced. Ben had killed a man protecting me, and the overwhelming feeling of dread washed over me like the raindrops that had now soaked me to the bone.

I reluctantly looked up from Ben's shoulder. Through the thick veil of rain, I could see the outline of my attacker as he lay slumped over on the ground. His head was a bloody mess. The rain pummeled his motionless form, gradually rinsing the blood from his face and revealing the eyes that had haunted my waking thoughts. Little did I know, it was the image that would disturb my dreams for the rest of my life.

"Ben," I cried, returning my head to his shoulder. Another sob escaped my lips as the realization of what he had done began to sink in. "What are we going to do?"

"Rey..." he finally spoke, still frozen as a statue cast in stone. I heard him gulp, signifying the first breath I had heard him take since the unthinkable happened.

Ben then opened his mouth to speak again, his lips quivering as the raindrops rolled over them to the ground.

"Ben, look at me," I demanded, pulling his face to mine. I peered deep into his eyes, and all I saw was nothingness, a blank stare void of any discernible expression or emotion. "Please speak to me! Tell me what we should do!"

His gaping eyes blinked as I searched his face for answers, for some sign that he still had the capacity for conscious thought.

"Rey," Ben whispered.

"Yes, Ben, it's me. Tell me what I need to do," I said calmly, holding his face in my palms.

He suddenly pulled my hands away, coming onto his feet. I stood up beside him and placed my right hand on his shoulder. He was silent for a few fleeting seconds, and then something snapped.

"Grab his legs," Ben commanded, walking with determination toward the corpse's head.

"Ben, what the hell are you doing?" My eyes widened as I saw him proceed to lift my attacker's torso up from the ground. He was planning on disposing of the body without involving the police. "Shouldn't we call Obi-Wan and tell him what happened?"

"Grab his legs," he angrily repeated, and I sighed, bending down to take hold of the dead man's black army boots.

I hated the thought of even touching the man who had attacked me twice, but I hated myself even more for what I was about to help Ben accomplish.

"Okay, on three. One, two, three..."

We both lifted at the same time, hoisting the body over toward Ben's Impala. Surprisingly, the body wasn't as heavy as I expected; however, I knew Ben was supporting most of its weight.

When we reached the car, Ben held onto the corpse by the collar of its jean jacket while he unlocked and opened the rear door of the Chevy. He didn't speak another word as he helped me raise the body into the trunk. The body sunk into the car and rolled over like a ragdoll, its eyes gazing into oblivion. I stood there, watching the eyes I had seen in such overpowering terror, and instantly felt remorse for the life that was cut too short. I knew all too well how that felt.

Ben then darted back toward the man's truck and retrieved the piece of wood he'd used to defend me. He paused, looking down at the short two by four in his grip; then he returned to the Impala and heftily tossed the board on top of the garbled corpse.

"Let's go," Ben said firmly, shutting the rear door, and raced toward the driver's side of the car.

I followed after him, flinging open the passenger side door and sinking down on the seat. My heart began to beat an erratic rhythm as I fastened my seatbelt into place with shaky hands.

"Ben, what are we doing?" I asked him, observing him crank the engine and shift the car in reverse.

"Taking him to the river," Ben replied through gritted teeth, placing his hand on my headrest, and backed out of the parking space.

"Ben, are you crazy?" I yelled, bringing my hands to my temples and running them through my drenched brown strands. "We have to go explain the situation to Obi-Wan. He can help us, Ben. Please! Let's just go back and call him."

I reached into my evening bag and pulled out my cell phone, punching in my password and scrolling through my contacts to the Jakku police station's number.

"NO! We can't tell Obi-Wan!" Ben ripped the phone from my hand, throwing it violently onto the floor. He then sped onto the highway in the direction of the James River, the tires fighting relentlessly with the puddles of rain.

"Why not, Ben?" I screamed into his ear, hoping it would knock some sense into him. "He can be our ally in this!"

"Do you have any idea what will happen if we go to Obi-Wan?" Ben brushed off what I had said, a hint of hysterics in his tone, his eyes attending to the dark highway. "My father… he's disabled and fully depends on me for everything. I’m the co-owner of a successful garage. I would lose everything I've worked for and make a mockery out of Finn and my employees. They’ll lose everything too. I will not let that happen, not for one second."

"It was self-defense—you were protecting me. The courts would rule in our favor." I tried to reason with him to no avail.

"No, Rey. I killed that man in cold blood. I should've just knocked him unconscious and called Obi-Wan," he countered, his eyes still transfixed on the road. "I don't know what came over me. I just snapped."

"But-" I began, but he held up a hand to silence me.

"But nothing, Rey," Ben angrily spat, returning his hand to the steering wheel. "I won't put my father through that humiliation. I won't put you through the horror of a trial. You've worked so hard to get where you are in the world. I won't put your life on hold for something I did."

"Ben, he was a sleaze! A goddamn filthy rapist!" I gasped at my use of such harsh language, placing a hand over my mouth. I turned my head and watched the dark waters of the James River as they came into view. "He deserved it."

"Maybe he did, but it wasn't my right to decide whether he lived or died." Ben steered the car toward the side of the road. "I made a horrible mistake."

"A mistake that's fixable," I said as the car came to a halt on the shoulder. I glanced at the digital clock on the dashboard. The rigid, blue numbers read a quarter past midnight. "Please let me call Obi-Wan. It's getting late. He's going to wonder why I'm not back yet."

"No, we'll make up some excuse to tell him later," Ben determinedly opposed, opening the car door. He climbed out of the car and left the engine running. "Help me move him to the cliff." He then slammed the door shut in my face.

I did as I was told, reluctantly prying myself from the seat of the car. The rain maintained its constant downpour as I walked around to the rear door. I stared toward the driver's side of the car, having half a mind to jump into the cab and take off back toward Jakku, leaving Ben behind. However, I couldn't make my legs move. We were already in too deep; there was no turning back now.

"Take his legs again," Ben instructed once he had opened the trunk. "Let's get him over to the edge."

With the rain hammering down upon us, we lifted the body and carried him across the road toward the cliff. We placed the body gently on the ground near the edge. I could hear the roar from the current violently soaring over the rocks below.

"Stay here." Ben turned, rushing back toward the car to grab the wooden stick from the trunk.

I brushed the wet tresses back from my face, angling my head toward the heavens. I opened my mouth and let the raindrops wash over my tongue. Crossing my soaked arms over my chest, I gripped my torso as hard as I could in an attempt to hold myself together. I was about to lose every shred of sanity I had left. I closed my hazel eyes, praying a silent request that I would soon wake from this nightmare.

"Rey." Ben roused me from my thoughts, throwing the board down alongside the corpse. "This is the right thing for us to do."

I looked over at him as he sauntered toward me, his eyes waning over with guilt.

"I'm so sorry it had to come to this." He wrapped his arms around me, hugging me tightly to his chest.

"We're going to have to live with this secret forever, Ben." I kept my arms bound tightly around my torso. Sorrowful tears seeped from my eyes and were instantly cleansed away by the rain.

"I know." He let me go, and I watched the rain make jagged patterns on his cheeks and forehead. Even after the horrible crime he had just committed, he still looked absolutely breathtaking.

I sighed, placing a hand on his cheek, my thumb resting on the small mole beside his nose. Maybe this was our secret to share. Maybe this was our fate. Maybe this was what would bind us together for the rest of our lives.

Leaning in, Ben gave me a small kiss on the lips. His simple gesture spoke the emotions weighing heavily on his heart without saying a word. I felt sadness, remorse, shame, but most of all, I felt his care for me. I knew this man would have done anything to make sure I was safe and protected.

"Let's get this over with," I finally relented, running my thumb back and forth over his chin.

Ben reached up and grasped my hand, locking his fingers into mine. He then released them, and we both turned to attend to the lifeless body lying on the saturated ground.

"You take the head. I'll take the legs." Ben squatted over the body, gliding his fingers under the dead man's knees.

I knelt down by the corpse's head, deflecting my gaze so that I wouldn't have to stare into his cold, pale eyes. I placed my fingers on each of his shoulders and waited for Ben's signal.

"Okay, let's do this," Ben affirmed, but I wavered, hurriedly jerking back my hands. "Rey, what is it?"

"I want to know who this guy is," I said firmly, grabbing the dead man's shoulders, and rolled him over on his back.

"I think it's better that we don't know, Rey," Ben insisted, still holding onto the legs.

"I just want to know his name." I frantically jammed my hand into his back pocket and retrieved his wallet. The rain instantly soaked the brown leather fabric as I held it in my trembling palms.

I clenched my eyelids together, slowly unfurling the tri-fold wallet. My eyes flew open, and I pivoted the wallet so I could read the name off his driver's license:

 _Armitage Brendol Hux_.

I closed my eyes, sending the wallet crashing to the damp ground in front of me. The hatred, the absolute abhorrence of that name, swept over me like the raging waves on the river below. It was the very name of the drunk driver who had swerved and slammed into my parents' car that night, killing them on impact.

But Hux had died as well… or so we had thought.

"What is it, Rey?" I could barely make out Ben's voice as his hands swooped down and picked up the wallet. "No way… it couldn't be."

"Ben, he killed my parents," I said through my sobs, trying hard to maintain my grip on reality.

"Yes, but he died in the crash, too. Dead is dead. There's no coming back from that."

I stared vacantly down at the puddles in the grass beneath my feet, the horror of that night rushing back to me… the chilling ding of the doorbell, the grim expressions of the officers behind the door, the sadness on Obi-Wan's face as he heard the news.

I remembered the terrifying nightmares I had experienced after my parents died, waking up in a pool of my own sweat. I was always running down a desolate highway, tracked by some unseen force, and every time I'd turn around to face what was pursuing me, smoke would rise, ultimately clouding my vision. I hadn't seen the face of my parents' murderer out of a desire to never be haunted by the image. Now, however, I would be troubled by it until my last dying breath.

"Rey." Ben purposefully shook me by the shoulders. I heard the wallet splash in the mud once again. "I don't know what the hell is going on here, but we need to dispose of the body as quickly as possible and head back."

Ben retracted his arms and picked up the wallet once again. His eyes widened in alarm.

"Shit," he vehemently swore under his breath, turning the wallet to face me.

There, tucked inside one of the plastic picture sleeves, was my senior picture from high school.

Then everything became vividly clear...

"H-he came back for me," I unquestionably stammered and shuddered beneath the raining clouds. A clap of thunder chillingly roared off in the distance. "H-he came back to f-finish the job."

Still holding onto the wallet, Ben threw his arms around me and held me close. I sighed into his embrace, a rush of relief running through my veins. The man who had killed my parents and apparently had tried to send me to meet them was now dead. So many emotions hit me all I once; I wondered how I would ever be able to move from my position.

"Come on," Ben simply said, letting me go.

I furiously wiped my eyes as Ben took the picture from the plastic sleeve and replaced Hux's wallet in his back pocket. If the police were to discover the body, suspicion inescapably would arise as to how my parents' car accident actually happened. I knew Ben had removed my picture to ensure no one would question me about Hux's death. A heartbroken daughter with a vendetta wouldn't be ruled out during the inevitable investigation.

Returning my hands to Hux's shoulders, I merrily helped Ben roll the body toward the edge of the cliff. We pushed with all our strength, and the body steadily swayed off the precipice, lost to the churning water below.

Ben and I both stood up at the same time, giving each other satisfied, yet dismal looks. He then held up the board and chucked in the murder weapon after the departed body.

When the board was out of sight, Ben turned to me with an outstretched hand.

"Let's get you home."

 

~.~

 

Ben and I sat in Obi-Wan's driveway, a prolonged, excruciating silence between us. We hadn't spoken a single word since we had walked away from the river just over twenty minutes before. I looked intently down at my hands, trying to come to grips with what we both had just experienced.

Ben leaned forward, his strong hands plastered to the steering wheel, staring emptily at the two objects that had now been responsible for ending a life. His knuckles were completely white beneath the beige skin of his fingers. I would have given anything to know what he was thinking at that moment.

Suddenly, Ben shot straight up in his seat, glancing toward the front porch.

"You should go in," he said decisively, propping his elbow on the door and pressing his left hand to his forehead. He tiredly began to massage his temples. "I'm sure Obi-Wan's out looking for you."

I had noticed when we pulled into the driveway that Obi-Wan's cruiser wasn't parked outside the house. Technically, I was over an hour late; it was past one am, and I'd promised Obi-Wan I'd be home at midnight.

"Would you mind coming in with me?" I asked Ben, wary of going inside the house by myself so late at night. After all I'd been through the past few days, I wasn't sure if other monsters were lurking in the shadows, waiting to strike. "I'd feel safer if you saw me in."

"Alright," he answered, not even waiting for me to exit the car. He practically leaped from the car and began walking toward the front door. The car door forcefully slammed shut behind him.

I locked my evening bag under my arm and followed him toward the house, fumbling with my keys to find the correct one in the dim glow of the porch light. Thankfully, it had stopped raining for the moment. I had seen my share of rain that night to last a lifetime.

After I opened the door, we were both startled by the sound of the phone ringing in the kitchen. I placed a hand over my heart in ultimate relief, throwing my bag down, and headed toward the kitchen.

"Hello," I spoke into the handset, pulling it up to my ear. It was one of those antique rotary dial phones; Obi-Wan had refused to get rid of a 'perfectly good phone' when my parents had bought him a cordless one for Christmas several years ago.

"Rey? I've been worried sick," Obi-Wan's voice responded, concern permeating his tenor. "I tried calling you on your cell. Where have you been?"

"Sorry, Obi-Wan." I looked over at Ben, who was now leaning against the counter near the sink, his eyes focused on the floor. "My cell battery died."

"Jakku does have payphones, you know," Obi-Wan said a little condescendingly.

"I know, Obi-Wan. Sorry to make you worry, but I'm home now," I assured him, turning my back to Ben.

"How was your date?" my grandfather chuckled. "Did Ben take you to Chandrila?"

A chill ran down my spine. Had he seen us head toward Chandrila? Did he see Ben's car parked outside the ice cream shop?

"N-no." I spun around, staring wide-eyed at Ben, panic beginning to overtake me. "Um… we stayed here in Jakku, went out to dinner… drove around town."

Ben worriedly met my eyes, his lips tightening. His jaw began to clench.

"Well, you can tell me all about it later. I'm staying here at the station for a couple more hours," Obi-Wan said, sighing. "Go ahead and get some sleep, Rey."

"Okay, Obi-Wan. I will." I began to hang up the phone, when I heard Obi-Wan say something else.

"I love you, Rey."

I brought the handset back to my ear, half-smiling. "Love you too, Obi-Wan."

Placing the phone back on the receiver, I walked over to Ben and stood opposite him. I tilted backward, resting my back against the wooden dinner table.

"Obi-Wan's not going to be back for a few hours," I informed him, placing my palms on the table top to steady myself.

"We should get you out of those clothes then," Ben said softly.

My heart jumped in my chest. Did he just say what I thought he said?

"Excuse me?" I bit my lip and looked up at him.

"No." He laughed for the first time since we'd left Chandrila, sauntering across the kitchen toward me. "What I meant was—we should get you into some dry clothes."

"Oh." I took a breath, part of me secretly hoping it would have been what I originally thought. My eyes raked over his ruined leather jacket, soaked in rainwater. "I think I can find some of Obi-Wan's old clothes for you to change into."

We exchanged an uncomfortable glance, and I cleared my throat, pushing off the table, and then made my way out of the kitchen. Ben followed close behind me as I took the stairs up to Obi-Wan's room.

Once inside my grandfather's bedroom, I knelt by his oversized dresser and dug into the bottom drawer. Obi-Wan kept all his old flannels and worn-out jeans there, and I emerged seconds later with a selection of each for Ben to put on.

"Here you go. You can change in here," I told Ben, handing him some of Obi-Wan's castoffs. "The flannel should fit you; it's a couple of sizes too big for Obi-Wan… a birthday gift from my uncle Qui-Gon who wouldn't know how to dress someone if he tried."

"Ah, Qui-Gon." Ben took the clothes from my hands, pulling them to his chest. "How is the big oaf these days?"

"Good," I replied as Ben closed the door to my grandfather's bedroom, leaving it cracked about an inch. "He lives in DC now."

"Still a history professor?" I heard Ben ask, his voice sounding distant behind the wooden door. I then heard the sound of his pants dropping to the floor.

"Yeah, at Georgetown," I loudly gulped, desiring nothing more than to take just one tiny peek behind the door.

I uneasily played with the gold locket around my neck, running it back and forth over the fine chain as a distraction. The locket had been a gift from my mother for my first Christmas. It had always remained around my neck; nothing had changed except for the length of the chain, which had grown as I blossomed into a young woman. It stood as a long-lasting reminder of the love my parents held for me. Holding it now in my palm made me feel somewhat confused and angry—angry that their murderer had still been alive all these years.

"Wow, good for him," Ben replied.

The distinct sound of jeans being zipped up emanated from the room, waking me from my thoughts about my parents. I huffed and curiously peered through the slight opening in the door only to see Ben, shirtless, his beautiful creamy skin glistening in the moonlight shining in from the window.

My eyes scanned over the tone of his pec muscles, his abs, his perfectly-sculpted biceps, and I could barely think straight. He was so _large._ A black, circular tattoo branded his right shoulder, and it looked similar to the emblem on his motorcycle helmet.

"Take a picture. It'll last longer," Ben's voice abruptly woke me from my drool session. His thick lips morphed into a smirk.

"Sorry, I didn't mean to stare." I felt my cheeks flush with heat.

"It's okay, Rey." Ben laughed, slipping his arms into the flannel shirt, and began to fasten the buttons. He walked toward the door and flung it open, holding his hands out at his sides. "How do I look?"

"I think you look great," I said coyly. Even in flannel, he was still the most beautiful man I had ever seen. I leaned in to adjust his collar slightly, looking up at his striking brown eyes. "Green's a good color for you."

"Your favorite color, right?" He turned up an eyebrow.

"Right." My smile widened, and I peered down at the floor. "I think I'll go change now."

After replacing my wet clothes with a t-shirt and jeans, I headed from my room back towards the stairs, when I noticed a stream of light coming from my mother's old bedroom. Slowly, I walked toward the door, pressing my hand to the doorknob, and peeked into the room.

"Ben?" I spoke into the stillness of the room.

He was standing by my mother's vanity, a childhood picture of him and my mother clutched in his right palm. I had only seen that picture maybe once or twice my entire life. My mother couldn't have been more than ten years old when it was taken.

"Oh, sorry." Ben hastily replaced the picture on the shelf above the vanity and turned toward me. "Just visiting some old ghosts."

"Yeah, I know the feeling." I sat down on the bed, invitingly patting the area next to me.

Ben joined me on the bed, running his hands down the length of his face, and sighed.

"I can't believe your parents' murderer was still alive after all these years," Ben fretted, gripping his hands together. He hung his head between his knees. "They found the guy's dead body in the car, even matched his dental records. It just doesn't make any sense to me."

I thought about what he said for a moment, and then suggested, "Unless he set someone up to make it look like he did it. He could have switched the dental records with his own."

"Why would he do that, though? What did your parents ever do to him?" Ben's eyes flew up, attending to the picture across the room. "Why would he want them dead? And why would he want to hurt you?"

"I don't know, Ben." I sighed exhaustedly, resting my head on his right shoulder, and fingered the locket about my neck. My parents' death had now become a complete mystery to me. "Maybe there was something about my parents, something I never knew."

"Your parents were never ones to keep secrets, Rey," Ben said, placing his head on top of mine. Then, he was really quiet for several seconds.

"Still, I can't help but wonder if they were hiding something." My mind began running through every possibility. Could they have been drug dealers? Secret agents? Officers of the FBI or CIA? There was really no way of knowing. They had died, taking whatever secrets they held with them to the grave.

"Rey, they loved you more than anything." Ben reached up and ran his opposite hand over my cheek, caressing it tenderly. "They would've never kept any secrets from Obi-Wan that would've put him or you in danger."

"Do you really believe that?" I asked, raising my head from his shoulder, his hand still transfixed on my cheek.

Spying my necklace, Ben took the locket from my fingers with both hands and gently opened it. The first family portrait of my parents and me came into view.

"Yes, I do." Ben's deep brown eyes seemed to be mesmerized by mine. He never deflected his gaze once. Shutting the locket, he returned his hand to my cheek.

"Thank you, Ben, for everything." I closed my eyes, savoring the warmth of his hand on my face. "You saved me twice. I'll be indebted to you for the rest of my life."

"I'm afraid I've done more harm than good," Ben confessed, gliding his thumb endearingly over my lips. "If and when they find the body… God only knows what will happen from there."

"I'll be here, Ben. Right by your side." I kissed his thumb as it swept over my lips for the second time. "We're in this together."

"That's what I'm mostly afraid of," he said, disheartened. "You've got your whole life ahead of you, and now I've gone and fucked it all up, making you an accessory to murder."

"Ben, you haven't fucked it up." I leaned in toward his lips. "Meeting you was the best thing that could've ever happened to me."

Ben drew in a sharp breath.

"Listen, Rey." He casually turned his head, denying me the kiss I so urgently wanted and needed at that moment. His hand promptly dropped from my cheek. "I think it's best that we kept our distance for now."

"What?" I instantly felt broken. "Why?"

"You're only here until the end of the week, right?" He stood up from the bed, walking toward my mother's old vanity, where his wet clothes now rested. "It would be wrong of me to lead you on."

"Ben, no!" I jumped up from the bed, grabbing onto his arm in pleading desperation. "I want this. I really do!"

"Rey, I don't know what I was thinking. Maybe it's better if we just put tonight behind us." Ben didn't meet my eyes as he spoke, forcibly removing my hand from his arm. He took the damp clothes into his palms and spun around, heading for the stairs.

The pounding of his boots against the wood of the stairs was the worst sound I had ever heard. I hurried after him, stopping on the last step as he turned back to me, a stern look on his face.

"Thanks for the clothes. I'll bring them back tomorrow when Obi-Wan's at work and leave them on the doorstep." He dejectedly reached for the doorknob, sighing. "Goodbye, Rey."

And just like that, Ben Solo walked out the front door and subsequently out of my life.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thoughts? What do you think really happened the night of her parents' accident? What do you think will happen next? Thanks so much for reading and please leave kudos or comment! ~Dazzy xxoo


	5. Dreamcatcher

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> When we left off... 
> 
> Ben and Rey disposed of the dead body in the river. She discovered that he was the same man who had killed her parents in a car accident years ago, Armitage Hux. They also found Rey's picture in his wallet, making them believe he came back to finish the job. Ben drove Rey home and she gave him some of Obi-Wan's clothes to change into. They discussed what may have happened with her parents. Ben said it might be best if they kept their distance for now, leaving Rey alone and heartbroken.

_ "Deep into that darkness peering, long I stood there, wondering, fearing,  _

_ Doubting, dreaming dreams no mortal ever dared to dream before."  _

_ ~Edgar Allan Poe, "The Raven"  _

 

**Chapter 5: Dreamcatcher**

 

**Rey's POV**

 

_ I stood in the midst of a thick forest. Lush evergreen trees spread out before me, and a light mist hovered around me like a thin blanket. Up ahead in the distance, I caught fleeting glimpses of a figure moving in and out of the shadows. The figure seemed to be drawing closer to me with each blurred movement between the trees. My heart began to thump more rapidly in my chest, the feeling of trepidation surmounting in my mind.  _

_ I immediately turned to run, but my legs didn't respond. They felt trapped in the soil and grass beneath them, almost as if I'd suddenly stumbled into a patch of quicksand.  _

_ "No!" I screamed into the desolate forest, trying to make my immovable legs yield to my commands. "Help me!"  _

_ "There's no one to help you now, Rey," a callous voice grimly whispered, and I felt a cold hand grip the back of my neck. The voice was indescribable; I couldn't tell if it belonged to a man or woman. "No one... except me."  _

_ "No!" I cried, feeling the grip tighten around the base of my neck. I gasped for air as my eyes began to bulge from the force of the figure's strong hands. "No!"  _

_ I shot up in my bed, letting the covers fall from around my shoulders. I looked straight ahead, and realized it had all been a dream. There was no forest, no dark figure suffocating me to death; I was now safe and sound in my own bed.  _

_ "Rey?"  _

_ I turned my head to acknowledge the voice, only to see Ben standing by my bed, his gorgeous brown eyes peering down at me. A smile broke across my lips.  _

_ "Have a bad dream?" he asked, mirroring my grin.  _

_ "Ben! You came back?" I was so happy to see him that I answered his question with another.  _

_ "Of course I came back for you, Rey." Ben slid onto the bed beside me, cradling my cheek in his right palm. His gaze then focused on my lips.  _

_ Tilting his head toward me, Ben lightly pressed his lips to mine. I placed my hand on the back of his head, deepening the kiss and forcing my tongue into his mouth.  _

_ "Mmm," he murmured against my lips, jerking my waist toward him, and laying me down against the pillows.  _

_ Stripping the covers out from under me, Ben climbed on top of me. I immediately pulled at the hem of his t-shirt, yanking it over his head. After I tossed his shirt haphazardly onto the floor, his soft lips returned to mine.  _

_ Suddenly, Ben began to choke, and his whole body trembled as if he were in horrible, writhing pain.  _

_ "Ben!" I called to him.  _

_ Ben fell back onto the foot of the bed, shrieking at the top of his lungs. His body violently thrashed back and forth on the mattress. He then clawed his fingers across his chest as if trying to scratch away an unrelenting itch. I quickly gripped the headboard, getting as far away from him as I could. My heart ached seeing him in such terrifying pain. I felt almost helpless as I watched him continue to suffer the torment of some unseen force.  _

_ Then, just as soon as it had begun, Ben collapsed against the sheets. His limbs went limp, his dark brown eyes stared out into nothingness.  _

_ "Ben?" I cried, crawling across the bed to meet him.  _

_ As I climbed on top of him, I watched in horror as his face instantaneously burst into thousands of flesh-eating maggots. I screamed, placing my hands on either side of my face, and forcibly tugged at my hair...  _

"Rey! Wake up, honey," a calming voice soon roused me from my nightmare. 

My eyes flew open and blinked, noticing Obi-Wan as he sat beside me on the bed. I sighed in relief and took in his worried expression. 

"Another nightmare?" he questioned, frowning beneath his gray mustache. 

"Yeah," I simply answered, raising my head from the comfort of my pillow. 

"Same one?" Obi-Wan's eyebrows lifted, his eyes staring intently into mine. He knew more about my nightmares than anyone. In the months following my parents' death, he had been there many a night to console me after I'd woken up screaming until my voice was hoarse. 

"Yeah, something like that." I shrugged, remembering the horrifying experience I'd had the night before. It had been almost a year since my sleep had been interrupted by such merciless dreams. Now, knowing some of the truth behind my parents' untimely death, they seemed to have invaded my peaceful slumber once again. 

"Well, it's over now." He kissed me on the forehead and patted me lightly on the shoulder, standing up from the bed. As he walked toward the door, he added with a chuckle, "By the way, you have a visitor downstairs." 

"What?" I asked, immediately throwing back the covers and climbing out of my bed. 

Obi-Wan didn't answer, just continued to laugh as he made his way back down the stairs. 

Turning to my suitcase, I immediately threw on a low-cut top and skinny jeans. I knew Ben had returned with the clothes he'd borrowed last night. I was so excited to see him, I didn't even care I hadn't brushed my teeth or applied any makeup. Grabbing my ballet flats, I hurriedly dusted off the mud from the soles and exited my room. I swiftly slipped them on my bare feet, hopping on the opposite foot, as I reached the top of the stairs. 

Glancing down into the foyer, I felt my heart crash within my chest as my eyes recognized who was standing at the bottom. It was Poe. SHIT! 

"Rey!" Poe called to me as I stood apprehensively on the top step. He looked absolutely drop-dead gorgeous, wearing a gray, fitted t-shirt over black trousers. His dark brown hair was combed perfectly in place, his pursed lips accentuating his cheekbones. 

No matter how much I wanted to run down to him, I couldn't make my legs move; I was so disappointed he wasn't Ben Solo. 

"Well, are you coming down to see me or what?" Poe's smile beamed up at me. 

His words made me snap out of my discontent, and I flew down the stairs and into his waiting arms. Poe scooped me up and spun me around, hugging me tightly against his chest. 

"I've missed you," he said, kissing the tip of my nose as he set my feet on the floor. I smiled, delighting in his joy to see me again. I had to admit; part of me had missed him too. I did love him after all. 

"What are you doing here, Poe?" I boldly asked and watched his smile flip upside down. 

"What? I can't visit my girl if I want?" He pinched my chin and crinkled his nose, the smile returning to his face. 

"No, it's just—I thought you were in Miami." I tried to mask my agitation that he'd shown up on my grandfather's doorstep without informing me first. 

"Well, my flight was delayed and then delayed some more. I didn't feel like waiting at the airport anymore, so I rented a car and came to see you instead," Poe explained, his arms still wrapped around my waist. "I tried calling, but I couldn't get you on your cell." 

"Yeah, it's um… out of commission," I said with a frown, remembering Ben's strong hands as they'd violently thrown my cell into the floor of his car. 

A rush of sadness suddenly swept over me. Poe probably wouldn't be going back to Richmond for a few days. I had hoped when Ben came back to return Obi-Wan's clothes that I would be able to convince him that we should at least give our relationship another try. 

"Rey, aren't you glad I'm here? You act like you're disappointed I came." Poe's voice held a trace of irritation as he pulled me closer. 

"I'm just a little surprised. That's all," I quickly answered him, replacing the frown on my face with a smile. 

"Well, I have to head out to the station," Obi-Wan interrupted, entering the foyer in his police uniform. 

Shivers ran up and down my spine at his words. Had they found Hux's body? 

"Emergency case?" I asked my grandfather nonchalantly, swallowing the uncomfortable lump in my throat. 

"No, Nien's wife is in the hospital. Duty calls," Obi-Wan relieved my fears, eyeing Poe's hands that were still circled around my hips. The expression on his face seemed a little smug as if he was getting a kick out of seeing me with Poe when I'd just had a date with Ben the night before. "It was uh… _nice_ meeting you, Poe." 

"You, too, Mr. Kenobi," Poe said after simultaneously clearing his throat and releasing me. 

"That's _Chief_ Kenobi to you," my grandfather jokingly retorted, giving me a slight wink. 

"Obi-Wan!" I exclaimed incredulously. I couldn't believe he was being so rude to Poe. 

"Sorry." Obi-Wan laughed and held up his hands in surrender, turning toward the front door. "You kids have fun." 

Poe and I both watched as my grandfather exited the house and got into his police cruiser. 

"I don't think he likes me too much," Poe nervously observed, running both hands through his chocolate locks. I heard the engine rev, and then the sound of Obi-Wan's car pull out of the driveway. 

"Obi-Wan's just being protective," I told him, wanting nothing more than for him to just leave. I knew he'd come all that way just to see me, but his presence would only prove detrimental to my plans in developing a relationship with Ben. 

"Yeah, well, he did pull a shotgun on me when he answered the door." Poe playfully winked at me. 

"He did not!" I slapped him on the shoulder, and he pulled me back to him, slinking his arms around my waist again. 

"Ah, now, where were we?" Poe's nose tickled the side of my cheek as he whispered softly in my ear. Tantalizing tremors shot throughout my body at the sensation of his lips ghosting my neck. 

I peered up at him, desire blazing in my eyes, and he slowly ran his lips along my jawline to unite with mine. 

_Knock, knock._ The thudded noise resounded from the front door, startling us both. Poe's lips paused just above my mouth, his eyes darting toward the door. 

"Hold that thought." I pushed Poe back slightly and made my way to the door. My heart fell in my chest for the second time, for I knew who would be standing behind it when I answered. 

"Ben," I whispered as I opened the door. I crossed the threshold, using the door to block his view of Poe. "What are you doing here?" 

Ben stood there in the doorway, a strained look on his face, holding up the clothes he'd borrowed. He was wearing a black t-shirt over jeans and his usual army boots. All the disappointment over Poe's sudden appearance soon dissipated with just one look at Ben. 

"I told you I'd bring back Obi-Wan's things," Ben said, handing the clothes over to me. 

"Thanks, Ben." I smiled uneasily at him, clutching the bundle of flannel and denim to my chest. 

"Who's this?" The door opened behind me, and Poe wrapped his arms around my waist from behind, kissing me on the top of my head. 

Ben's brown eyes narrowed when he saw Poe's blatant display of affection. The muscles of his neck immediately tensed. 

"This is Ben Solo, um… a family friend," I stammered out the words, shooting Ben an apologetic look. 

"Yeah, I'm a _family_ friend all right," Ben harshly said, gritting his teeth as he extended his hand to shake Poe's. 

"Nice to meet you, Ben." Poe shook Ben's hand and instantly coiled his hand back around my waist, claiming me. "I'm Rey's boyfriend, Poe." 

"You don't say." Ben's eyes widened, darting from Poe to me and then back again. He pressed his lips into a hard line. 

"Poe, can you give Ben and me a minute?" I asked, prying Poe's arms from around me. 

"Sure." Poe looked completely dumbfounded, but obliged me, leaving the two of us alone on the doorstep. 

When my boyfriend was gone, I guiltily held my head down and stepped out onto the porch, shutting the wooden door behind me. 

Ben turned toward the street, placing both hands on the top of his head. 

"Ben, I don't-" I timidly began, but he irately cut me off. 

"Who the HELL is that?" he bellowed into my face, enraged. 

"It's not what you think," I lied through my teeth, blinking away the tears that had started to rim my eyes. 

"One hundred percent single, huh?" Ben's angry voice soared over me like a clap of thunder. He released a fake laugh and vehemently shook his head, placing his hands on his hips. 

"Ben, please-" 

"Just like your mother," he spat before storming down the stairs and to his waiting bike. The comment cut me deep, yet I wouldn't grasp the full connotation until much later. 

I ran after him as he mounted his motorcycle and forcibly revved the engine. I paused cautiously at the end of the driveway, watching his body shake with the vibrations of the powerful machine. 

"I brought you this to make amends for last night," Ben yelled over the roar of the engine, pulling something from his right pocket. He held it up in the morning sunlight, allowing me to get a better view. The handmade object was circular in shape with several strings of colorful beads hanging from the center. It was a dreamcatcher. 

"It's beautiful, Ben," I said, reaching for the gift. How did he know that I'd had bad dreams the night before? I instantly regretted lying to him about Poe. 

"Doesn't matter now," he replied crossly, darting his eyes from mine, and pitched the dreamcatcher onto the lawn like a baseball. "Have fun with lover boy." 

He gave me a heated glare, loudly revving the engine one last time before releasing the clutch and speeding onto the pavement. I felt defeated as I watched his motorcycle disappear around the bend in the road. 

"What was that all about?" Poe's voice startled me from behind, and I felt his arms slip around my shoulders. 

"Nothing," I said, giving him a curt smile. "Let's go back inside." 

As we turned to head back into the house, I reached down and retrieved Ben's dreamcatcher from amongst the blades of grass, cupping it between my hands to keep it concealed from Poe's wandering eyes. 

 

~.~

 

**Ben's POV**

I'd been fucking had! The rage that burned inside me couldn't be described as I pounded the pavement on my Harley toward my home in Chandrila. I just couldn't begin to comprehend how fucking blind I'd been to fall for the same old charade. Rey Vos had come into my life after years of pining for her mother, and she did the exact same thing Qi'ra had done when we were in high school. She used me and threw me away with yesterday's trash. I was getting tired of all this bullshit! 

Yet, in the midst of my anger, I couldn't quite shake the memory of Rey's pouty lips caressing mine, her small frame pressed into my own. Her soft lips felt so warm, so right, so unlike her mother's, I almost felt as if I'd finally be able to let Qi'ra go after all these years. 

After my mom, Leia, had left my father when I was fifteen, Qi'ra had been there for me, a constant presence to a heartbroken kid. My diabetic father, Han, had been confined to a wheelchair shortly afterward, and it became a full time job taking care of him. I had to take on after school jobs to help cover the expense of looking after my father as well as the surmounting bills that never seemed to be paid in full or on time. 

Qi'ra was always there for me; she was my best friend through thick and thin. As we got older, I realized my true feelings for her, which were much more than just platonic. I'd sometimes fantasize about us making love together in the woods beside my favorite creek. Sometimes, we were even in the water, her long brown hair flowing down her back as I drove into her for hours on end against a large boulder. I'd spend nights awake in bed, imagining her straddling me, her small breasts bouncing just above my lips as I jerked myself off to some lame porno mag. 

When I'd finally mustered up enough courage to profess my love for her, to my detriment, Qi'ra had begun dating a new senior from DC, Dryden Vos. Oh, how I'd despised the very existence of that rich, smooth-talking prick! In one swift movement, he'd single-handedly swooped in and ripped Qi'ra from me before I could even tell her my true feelings. 

Not that I'd owned her, but Qi'ra was rightfully mine to begin with; we'd shared so much, known each other on such an intimate level, and had been best friends ever since I could remember. How dare he come to Jakku and mark his territory when it had already been claimed! 

Our rivalry for Qi'ra's affections became so heated, I'd crashed their senior prom. Highly intoxicated, I'd stormed into the school's gym through the menagerie of tacky crepe paper and balloons, and forcibly pried their bodies apart from each other. Dryden immediately had lunged at me, hitting me directly below my right eye. I'd retaliated by grabbing the lapel of his tuxedo jacket with both hands and hurling him into the refreshment table. The action sent the punchbowl sailing into several unsuspecting couples seated on the bleachers. 

We continued to pummel each other until Obi-Wan Kenobi and his deputy arrived and yanked us apart. I sat, sulking, on the bleachers with a bag of ice held to my bloody lip as I overheard Dryden's father inform Obi-Wan he wouldn't be pressing any charges. 

The last vivid memory I held of that night was Qi'ra's beautiful face, stained with tears, as she told me she never wanted to see me again. As I watched her walk away from me, I'd secretly wished her dad had pressed charges; at least I would have been in a real jail cell, not in my own personal hell without Qi'ra in my life. 

My heart had ached for weeks after that night, even more so when I'd found out through my father that Qi'ra was pregnant. I'd finally realized I could never have her; she was unattainable. She had moved on with her life… with _him_. 

It was then that Kaydel Connix came into my life. Kaydel had always had a slight crush on me even though she was the same age as Qi'ra--two years my senior. She was beautiful with her plump lips, long blond hair that she always wore in two buns on the top of her head, and infectious smile. Her affections toward me were insanely genuine, and Kaydel was ever so willing to help in mending my broken heart. 

One night, during the summer after Qi'ra and Dryden had married and were awaiting the birth of their first child, I'd taken Kaydel up on her offer for a date and ended up sleeping with her in the backseat of my Impala. It was the first time for both of us, somewhat awkward and not to mention rather brief, but it helped to lessen the sting of not having Qi'ra in my life. 

We'd continued to date for the next two years and moved in together after I graduated from high school. Well, Kaydel had moved in with my dad and me. Without my mother, I was left to take care of my wheelchair-ridden father all by myself. At least I had Kaydel to keep me company on those cold, lonely nights. 

To say life wasn't easy with Kaydel would be an understatement. Several years after we'd been living together, she demanded that we finally tie the knot and have the family she'd always dreamed about. I'd refused her request time and time again, telling her that I just wasn't ready. We'd usually fight after that, and I'd leave in a huff to take on a job at the garage or kick back a few beers with Finn and Artoo. My boys understood me and my twenty-four-year-old brain at the time. I knew deep down in my heart Kaydel and I just weren't meant to be together for the long haul. 

Kaydel and I had been living together six years when she decided to leave me. I stood on the porch, watching her load box after box into her father's Ford pickup, leaning against one of the posts. She gave me a forced smile as she walked up to me to tell me goodbye. I leaned in, grabbing her by the waist, and kissed her passionately one last time. She broke apart from my lips, looking up at me with tears in her eyes, and then left me standing all alone on my father's porch. 

Kaydel didn't stay gone for long. She would return several times over the next ten years. We would kiss, make love, and then part ways again. We had come to an understanding that what we shared was something we couldn't deny, yet we couldn't acknowledge it either. It was complicated, to say the least, but we kept it casual enough so no one's feelings were hurt in the process. _'No strings attached'_ to use her words so bluntly. 

Kaydel became even more important to my wretched existence when I'd heard of Qi'ra's death a few days after my thirty-fourth birthday. I'd angrily made love to Kaydel, vividly picturing Qi'ra as my eyes poured mournful tears for the life I'd never had with her. If Qi'ra had stayed in Jakku and married me, maybe she would still be alive… 

"Is that you, Ben?" my father called to me as I entered the back door to our house. 

"Yes, Dad," I answered, tossing my keys on the kitchen counter and moving over to the fridge. I opened the door and retrieved a beer from the bottom drawer, twisting off the top with my right hand. "I'll be in here if you need me." 

I slumped back against the counter, my mind rehashing the events of the previous night. I had taken Rey out for a dinner date and a walk along the river when something went terribly wrong. As I was getting us both ice cream, she had been attacked for the second time by the same assailant. I knew he had intended on violating her and stripping away her innocence, which I was not going to let happen. 

I'd flown out of the store, grabbing the first weapon I could find, a piece of scrap wood by the store's side entrance. I stormed up to the worthless bastard and just started wailing on him with the board. Something inside me just snapped, and I couldn't stop. I wanted him to pay for all the hurt he'd caused Rey over the past few days, all the mental torment she had suffered. 

When I was finally sane enough to realize what had happened, I knew we needed to dispose of the body. I didn't want Rey or me to have to face the horror of a trial and the jail time that would soon follow. So I had her help me lift his dead body into my Impala and dispose of it over the side of the river in Chandrila. 

I'd despised myself for what I'd done—ending someone's life, someone who probably didn't deserve it. For all I knew, he could have been a recovering sex addict. Maybe Daddy loved him a little too much when he was younger. I didn't have one fucking clue. 

However, as we later discovered, to my surprise and utter terror, he was the very man who had hit and killed Dryden and Qi'ra the night of their seventeen-year anniversary. 

My hands shook violently as I brought the ice-cold bottle of beer up to my lips. As the bitter liquid washed over my tongue, I flinchingly thought about the ramifications of my hasty actions and what that might mean for my future. More importantly, I agonized over what it meant for Rey's future. 

_Rey._ The image of her gorgeous hazel eyes flickered like a flame within my mind. I'd never before felt the way I did when I was with her. It was as if I'd finally been revived from a lifetime of sleep; she was an angel who had come to rescue me from the lie that had become my life. She was someone who could permanently make me whole. Now I'd gone and fucked it all up! 

I angrily threw the bottle of beer into the wall beside the refrigerator, remembering the face of her so-called boyfriend, Poe. The brown bottle burst into tiny shards of glass and fizz, tumbling to the floor below. Placing my head in my hands, I couldn't believe Rey had lied to me about having a boyfriend. I'd even made her a dreamcatcher as an offering, something my mother had taught me how to do when I was a boy, hoping she would forgive me for leaving so rudely the night before. I'd found someone who made me feel whole at long last, only to find out she'd been dishonest with me. It only fueled the rage I felt as it rippled down my spine. 

"Someone's in a bad mood," I heard a familiar voice through the screen door. It was Kaydel. I had obviously forgotten to shut the main door when I came into the house. 

"Kay, what are you doing here?" I didn't even look up from my position at the kitchen counter. Even though we'd ended our relationship several months ago, she still found it acceptable to show up unannounced on occasion. "I told you it was over." 

"Yeah, well, it looks like you could use some company," she coyly replied, letting herself into the house and sauntering over to me. She linked her arms around my waist, and I sighed, looking away. "I saw you went to Obi-Wan Kenobi's house earlier today. I heard his granddaughter's home from college this week." 

Kaydel sexily kissed the hollow at the base of my neck, a gesture I would have welcomed months ago, but things had changed between us. Somehow, my subconscious knew that Rey would later come into my life. _Rey_ had become that change. 

"Got a thing for the police chief's granddaughter, Ben?" Kaydel glanced up at me with knowing eyes, a Cheshire grin stretched across her lips. 

"That's none of your business, Kay." I pried her arms from around my waist, shoving her out from between my legs. 

"Remind you of someone, does she?" She leaned against the sink, folding her arms across her chest. The action made her round breasts more noticeable beneath the scoop neck top she was wearing. I had to force myself to look away, or I might have done something I would have regretted later. 

"You may leave now." I ignored what she'd said, walked over to the screen door, and held it open for her to exit. "Run along back home to Dopheld." 

"Fine then," Kaydel huffed at the reminder of her live-in, alcoholic boyfriend and pushed off the counter. She brushed past me as she headed out the door. "You just remember, Ben Solo. Who loved you when Qi'ra didn't, huh? Who cared for you when that heartless bitch didn't give a damn!" Her forefinger dug into my chest. "Remember that." 

The screen door slammed as she marched down the few steps to her car. I watched her get into her 1968 Volkswagen Beetle, the one I'd rebuilt for her five years ago, and zoom out of the gravel driveway, kicking up a cloud of dirt as she went. Hopefully, this time she'd leave for good. 

I immediately sank back against the wall, sliding all the way to the linoleum floor. Gripping the short strands of my hair, I quickly forgot about the incident with Kaydel. With a murder now on my hands, and the unknown circumstances surrounding Qi'ra and Dryden's death, I knew I was beginning to lose my sanity. 

The only person who could help me now was the one I'd just dismissed several minutes ago. The soft, tender glow of Rey's smile soon entered my mind, and I knew I had to seek her out again. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So, how hot is Ben right now? LOL! Let me know your thoughts on this chapter. Thanks as always for reading! The next chapter is the one you've been waiting for! 🍋😎


	6. Need

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> When we left off...
> 
> Poe came to visit Rey at Obi-Wan's house much to her dismay. Ben showed up to return the clothes he'd borrowed the night before and left after meeting Poe and realizing he was Rey's boyfriend. We then heard from Ben's POV regarding what happened over the years before Rey came into his life, most importantly that he'd had an off-and-on relationship with Kaydel Connix for the last 20 years. Ben realized toward the end that he had feelings for Rey that he couldn't ignore and wanted to seek her out again.
> 
> Hope you enjoy this next chapter! *wink, wink*

_"Never a lip is curved with pain_

_That can't be kissed into smile again."_

_~ Brete Harte_

 

__

_~.~.~.~_

 

**Chapter 6: Need**

**Rey's POV**

 

"Rey, are you feeling okay?" Poe's voice echoed within the chambers of my mind.

I stared vacantly down at the cheeseburger and greasy fries on my plate, wholly consumed by the thoughts of the previous night. I just couldn't purge those piercing, haunting blue eyes from my waking dreams. Those eyes now belonged to a dead man. The weight of Ben's and my actions had come crashing down upon me as I sat with Poe at the Niima Diner over lunch.

_What. Had. We. Done?_

The silent question repeated itself over and over again inside my brain, almost driving me completely mad.

I could feel all eyes on me, though I didn't dare to look up from the table. It would be only a matter of time before someone discovered Hux's body, and then everyone would know our little secret. I would have to face the horror of seeing Ben on trial for murder. All for protecting my honor. I just couldn't bear to see anyone go to jail for defending me even if the bastard deserved to die for killing my parents. I gritted my teeth together, willing the surmounting fear to flee from within my being.

"Rey?" A hand landed atop mine, the soft fingertips running gently over my knuckles. "You haven't even touched your food. Is something wrong?"

I jumped, blinking my hazel eyes, and looked up at Poe's forlorn face. His deep-set, brown eyes worryingly peered back at me. I inhaled deeply and relaxed against the cushion of the booth.

"I just have a lot on my mind," I said, picking up a French fry and forcing it into my mouth. It was void of any taste, but I continued to chew and swallow to appease my boyfriend.

"Worried about finals?" Poe hopefully questioned, taking a sip of his soda. He then resumed stroking my knuckles with his right hand. "I hear many people choke on Dr. Vader’s exam."

"No, it's not that," I admitted, and glanced out the window through the blinds to the diner's parking lot. My eyes fell on the very spot where I'd parked my Jeep last Saturday night. The chilling memory of Hux's breath on my neck sent waves of goosebumps over my skin, making the hairs on my arms stand on end.

"Rey, please tell me what's wrong," Poe pleaded almost nervously, encompassing my left palm with both of his strong hands.

I tore my gaze away from the pavement outside and glanced up at Poe's searching eyes. In that moment, I wanted nothing more than to tell him everything, to confess that I'd helped Ben dispose of a dead man's body, a life he'd ended in an attempt to safeguard me from harm. A part of me knew that Poe would understand. I envisioned him wrapping his comforting arms around me, letting me sob onto his shoulder until my eyes were dry.

However, another part of me knew he'd be angry for what I'd done. Poe would demand that I go straight to the police station and tell Obi-Wan everything that had transpired that night. Poe would have done everything within his power to make sure the blame was placed solely on Ben for the crime. Judging from the way he'd acted after Ben brought back Obi-Wan's clothes, I knew he suspected something had occurred between Ben and me.

_Ben_. My heart leapt at the thought of his beautiful brown eyes. He had reacted so harshly to seeing me with Poe that morning. I knew I should have told him about my boyfriend from the start. I had tried to convince myself that since Poe was supposed to be in Florida over spring break, Ben would be none the wiser. I had been foolish enough to think he wouldn't find out.

Then, Poe showed up on Obi-Wan's doorstep, just as Ben returned to apologize for leaving so abruptly the night before. My heart ached with the knowledge that he was angry about the situation with Poe; most importantly, the fact that I had lied to him. It was something I had to fix, no matter how much pleading and begging I'd have to do to win back his trust. Ben now had my heart, and I couldn't deny the feelings that rushed over me when I was with him.

"Poe, it's just h-hard being back in Jakku… you know, being reminded of my parents all the time," I lied. In actuality, there was some truth to that statement. Having been bombarded with countless remarks over the past few days on how much I resembled my parents was enough to last a lifetime. Not to mention, I had to sleep next door to my mother's room, which had been forever preserved by Obi-Wan in her memory.

"Oh, Rey, I never thought of that." Poe reached up and cupped my left cheek in his palm as a small tear escaped from the eye above it. "If you want, we can get out of here-maybe go into Richmond on a day trip, just you and me."

I sighed against his hand. What I really wanted was to run to my Jeep and speed away toward Chandrila. I wanted to be in Ben's strong arms once again. It was so cowardly of me. Poe deserved someone so much better than me; he deserved a soul mate. My feelings toward him had drastically changed since I'd met Ben, and I knew we weren't meant to be together. I hated myself for even thinking that notion, but I couldn't lie to myself any longer either.

"I think that'd be great," I gave in with a smile and told Poe what he wanted to hear. Maybe some time away from Jakku would do me good.

"Great," Poe said, his bright smile beaming from ear to ear. "I'll go pay for our food, and we'll head out."

With one last reassuring squeeze of my hand, Poe slid out of the booth and walked up to the counter to pay for our meal. I leaned back against the red cushion, staring out the window once again.

I had to find some way to get rid of Poe over the next few days and return to Chandrila. I had to find some way to see Ben Solo and tell him I was sorry. Only then would my restless heart find peace. Only then would I feel whole again.

After an afternoon of window shopping in Carytown, a matinee movie at the Byrd Theatre, and dinner in Richmond, Poe and I returned to Jakku just shy of eleven that night. I had to admit; I'd thoroughly enjoyed myself, being in the presence of my boyfriend. Even if I didn't feel romantic love toward him anymore, Poe was still my best friend.

Poe reached for my hand as we walked up the few steps to Obi-Wan's front door. I obliged and slid my hand into his, knowing full well what he expected once we were behind closed doors. We had the house completely to ourselves. Obi-Wan was still at the station and would remain there until morning.

I didn't know whether I was needy or just completely heartless, but something in my gut wanted to make love to Poe. Maybe it would make me forget all about Ben Solo and leave my feelings for him behind me like a faded photograph. Then again, maybe it would make me want him more, wondering how it would feel to have Ben inside me instead of Poe. I cursed myself for even thinking such eroded thoughts.

Once I'd unlocked the door, Poe playfully pulled me inside, throwing me up against the wall of the foyer, his lips searching for my neck. I groaned as he pressed his erection against my waist, and felt my breath hitch in my throat. His hands trailed down the sides of my torso, toying with the hem of my skirt.

I leaned my head back, closing my eyes and feeling the need for him grow stronger between my legs. Poe's hands ran up my skirt and slid underneath the fabric of my panties, cupping my ass with both palms.

"Oh, God, I've wanted you all day," Poe desirously breathed against my neck, sending waves of delight to my core.

I lifted myself up so that I could enclose my legs around his waist. Locking my legs in place, I hissed as my pulsating heat grazed his hardened length.

As Poe continued to trace the line of my décolletage with his lips, my mind began to wander. Poe slowly faded from view, and Ben suddenly came into sharp focus. I could vividly picture Ben in between my legs, his lips on my chest, his warm hands pressed against my bottom.

Just the notion sent a heightened ripple of desire careening over my body, and I screamed out, "Yes, Ben! Don't stop!"

Poe instantly froze beneath me, his hands dropping to his sides.

"Ben?" He looked at me through narrowed eyes and removed my hands from around his neck.

"Shit." I woke from my daze and dismounted my boyfriend, all desire immediately leaving my body. Remorse and guilt settled rightfully in its place. I placed my head in my hands, not wanting to see those eyes of pain again. "Oh, God, I'm sorry, Poe."

"I knew it!" Poe boomed, his voice livid. "I knew there was something going on between you and biker boy!"

"It's not like that, I swear, Poe!" I began my lame attempt at lying once again, slumping against the wall. I felt so confused; my emotions were all tangled together in knots. How many people could I possibly hurt in one day?

"The hell it isn't!" I looked up through tear-rimmed eyes to see Poe rubbing the back of his neck with his right hand. He began to pace back and forth. "I saw the way he looked at you! Tell me the truth!"

"How did he look at me?" I asked, but then cursed myself for it.

"I come all this way to see you, only to find out you've been screwing some other guy behind my back!" The inflection of his voice grew in intensity as he spat out the words.

"Poe, I haven't-" I began, but he cut me off.

"What is he, like thirty-five?" Poe vehemently questioned, stepping forward to face me. "He's _way_ too old for you, Rey."

"Ben's thirty-eight, Poe, and he's _not_ too old for me," I corrected him, hearing a sudden tinge of anger in my own voice.

"See, you just confirmed it. After all we've shared? Fuck that, Rey." Poe turned, adjusting his collar, and reached for the doorknob. "Fuck that."

"Poe, please don't go!" I pleaded with him, grabbing onto his elbow. Desperate tears streamed down my cheeks. "Please just let me explain."

"No, I think we're done here," he said firmly, staring me up and down with glaring eyes. "I'll call an Uber and stay at a hotel tonight. I'll come back for my things in the morning. It would be great if you weren't here when I do."

Before I could answer him, Poe opened the door, slamming it right in my face. I leaned against the closed door, pressing my forehead against the wooden frame. In one day, I'd managed to send the two men I cared about speeding away from me. How completely heartless could one woman be?

I stood at the door and waited begrudgingly for the Uber to arrive for Poe, feeling my heartstrings come undone as it drove away with my first love in the backseat. I decided then and there that I couldn't wait any longer to return to Chandrila. I needed to see Ben. Wiping away my sullen tears, I grabbed my keys, which were still dangling from the keyhole, and headed out to my Jeep.

Minutes later, I found myself back on that same stretch of highway toward Chandrila. I didn't know exactly where Ben's house was; all I knew was that he lived with his invalid father. Glancing ahead at the dark road before me, I resolved to stop somewhere and ask for directions. Since Ben owned the only garage in Chandrila, someone was bound to know where he lived. I couldn't very well just drive aimlessly around the small town so late at night, hoping to read his last name on one of the mailboxes. Besides, Ben still had my phone somewhere in his car, so looking up his address was out of the question.

After stopping at an all-night convenience store, directions now firmly in my hand, I returned to my Jeep, only to be greeted by rain. The relentless downpour blurred my vision somewhat as I continued on my way, but alas, the darkened, red house soon came into view. I pulled into the gravel driveway, parking parallel to the dilapidated shed toward the side of the house.

I stared out the window at the raindrops pounding heavily on the windshield in front of me and killed the engine. Butterflies did loops inside my stomach, and I wondered if I just shouldn't turn around now and save myself the embarrassment of facing Ben again. Judging from how he'd reacted earlier that day, there was no telling how he'd respond to seeing me on his doorstep much sooner than he probably expected.

Mustering up enough courage, I exited the truck and made my way toward Ben's front door, my heels sloshing in the puddles as I went. I raised my hand, ready to knock, when the door suddenly opened.

"Rey?" Ben's surprised voice rang out into the night air. He was barefoot, wearing a white, thermal tank and faded jeans. My heart skipped a beat when the light from the porch lamp illuminated his face, casting brilliant shadows under his cheekbones. "What the hell are you doing here?"

"I came to apologize for earlier today," I said, raindrops streaming down my face and soaking my hair. I had to have looked completely horrible at that moment.

"Well, let's get you inside. Come on." Ben stepped out onto the top step, using his arm to guide me inside the small house. "Wait here. I'll get you a towel to dry off."

"Thanks," I whispered as I stood in the doorway, shivering.

I glanced around the tiny kitchen, waiting for Ben to return with the towel. It was very quaint and simple. The walls were painted in neutral beige; the refrigerator and stove were coordinated in a matching avocado color, possibly from the 1970s. I remembered Obi-Wan having similarly-colored appliances when I was a little girl. A faint memory of my mother in Obi-Wan's kitchen flashed before my eyes, but quickly dissipated as Ben reentered the room.

"Here, Rey." Ben held out the pale green towel, letting his arm fall away as I took it swiftly from his grasp. He swept his right hand through his black hair.

Silence hovered over us as I dried my hair and dotted my face with the towel. Ben's brown eyes stayed focused on the linoleum floor below.

"Where's your dad?" I casually asked, neatly folding the towel and placing it on the kitchen counter.

"Watching baseball spring training on TV," he answered, the side of his mouth crooking into a hint of a smile. He leaned against the kitchen counter, his hands steadying his weight on the surface, accentuating his well-toned biceps. "That's all he ever does anymore. A real pain in the ass."

"Oh," I said, smiling. "I'd like to meet him sometime… officially."

"I'm sure he'd love to meet you, too, Rey." Ben shifted uneasily against the counter beside me. He then pushed off the surface and opened the refrigerator, retrieving two beers. He promptly twisted the caps off both bottles and offered one to me.

"Thanks," I whispered, swallowing the lump in my throat, and took the brown bottle from his hand. "And thanks for the dreamcatcher… it was very thoughtful of you."

"No problem," he said nonchalantly, taking the first sip of his beer, and leaned back against the counter. "Who _was_ that guy this morning? What was his name again?"

"Poe… he's sort of my boyfriend," I nervously admitted, twirling the bottom of the glass bottle in the palm of my opposite hand.

"Yeah, I got that much. Are you two serious?" Ben's voice was firm, almost demanding in tone.

"We've been dating for almost a year, Ben. Look, I'm sorry I didn't tell you about him sooner, but -" I couldn't even meet his eyes as I spoke. I felt so ashamed.

"You lied to me." Ben looked over at me, and instinctively, my head shot up. The hurt in his eyes made me want to rip my own eyes out in the hopes of never seeing that pain again. I forced myself to look away.

"I know, and I'm sorry." I gulped down a generous swig of my beer, flinching as the bitter taste rolled over my tongue.

"But why would you lie to me about something like that?" Ben asked, reaching out his hand to grab mine, which lay relaxed at my side. "It wouldn't have stopped me from pursuing a relationship with you, even if you had told me the truth."

"Ben, I-" I managed to stutter as our hands connected, entwining with one another. The familiar warmth of his skin was soothing; it told me without saying a word that he'd forgiven me. For everything.

"Look, I'm sorry I said you were like your mother. You're _nothing_ like her, Rey," Ben apologized, sincerity permeating his voice. He gently squeezed my hand.

"Thanks, Ben." I chewed my bottom lip, blushing slightly.

Ben suddenly recoiled his hand from mine, downing the rest of his beer.

"I think I might be losing it, Rey." He slid down the length of the cabinets and sunk to the floor. The empty beer bottle hit the linoleum with a thud and rolled under the small kitchen table. "I'm falling apart from the inside out."

"What do you mean, Ben?" I hurriedly placed my bottle on the counter and knelt in front of him. He didn't answer; he just covered his head with his hands. "You mean about last night?"

"I killed someone, Rey," he hopelessly whispered, looking up at me through tear-framed eyes. He held out his shaky hands, palms facing upward. "Every square inch of my hands is covered in his blood."

My mind searched for the right words to say. I rested my hands reassuringly on both of his shoulders.

"Ben, what you did was noble. You saved me. Never forget that. There's no telling what he would've done if you hadn't stopped him."

"And then it would be _your_ blood on my hands." Ben winced at the words. "I would've never forgiven myself if he'd..."

"Shh." I pulled him into my arms, and he continued to sob, placing his head on my left shoulder. My heart broke for him. This whole situation was tearing him apart. How did we ever get ourselves into this mess?

I reassured him, "It wouldn't have been your fault, Ben. Please stop beating yourself up about it."

After a few seconds, Ben leaned back against the cabinets, wiping the tears from under his eyes with the back of his hand.

"Look at me. Some tough guy I am," he joked, offering me a half-smile. "I can't even imagine what you think of me now."

"I think you're very brave, Ben Solo." I leaned in toward him, placing my hands on either side of his face. I gently tilted his head forward and gave him a soft kiss on the forehead.

"Thanks, Rey. You're too good to me," Ben said, grabbing my wrists and hooking them around the base of his neck. He then reached up, taking my face into his palms, and ran his thumbs under my eyes. "I'm surprised you're not terrified of me."

"Never," I spoke softly, closing my eyes at the warm touch of his hands on my skin.

I ran my hands down the length of his arms and released his hands from my face. Turning his palms upward, I began to trace his skin with delicate kisses. I covered every inch of hands with my lips, kissing away his guilt, his remorse. His shame.

"Rey." His ragged breaths caught in his throat. "I think, I…"

I looked up from his hands, my heart racing like a runaway freight train in my chest. My face was mere inches from Ben's lips; my body achingly throbbed in need for him. I knew the consequences of what could transpire if I allowed myself to give in at that moment. He was far too vulnerable… but then again, maybe he needed me as much as I needed him.

"I need you, Rey," Ben suddenly spoke, his expectant eyes focusing on my lips. "So much right now. You're all I've got."

Without any further hesitation, I closed the gap between us, crushing my lips to his. Ben's soft lips responded with vigor, his palms tightening their grip along my jawline. I immediately shifted my body so that I was straddling him. We both loudly moaned as our arousals came in contact with the sudden change in position.

Ben's strong hands came to rest on my bottom, pinning me to his body. His soft lips marked a path down my neck and along the hemline of my low-cut top. I threw my head back, allowing the wet tendrils of my hair to detach from my shoulders and cascade down my back. One of his hands then reached up and cupped my left breast, the thumb running back and forth over the hardened nub there.

I cravingly groaned, my eyes rolling to the back of my head. God, I wanted him. I'd wanted him since the first moment I laid eyes on him. I wanted to crawl inside of him and completely surround myself in all that was Ben Solo for every second of eternity.

Seizing his right hand from my breast, I maneuvered it between my legs and leaned back to allow him further access.

"Rey," Ben breathlessly whispered, his wide eyes guarded. "Are you sure?"

"Yes," I replied, forcing his hand up my skirt, and shuddered when his fingers came in contact with my feminine center. "P-please, Ben."

Needing no further reassurance, Ben heftily pulled back the fabric of my cotton panties and plunged his middle finger inside me. I rocked my hips forward, relishing in the sensation of being connected in such an intimate way with him.

"Oh, Rey, you're so fucking wet." Ben's husky voice sent shivers of pleasure all over my body. His thumb gently toyed with my clit, bringing me closer and closer to satisfaction. "Is that for me, or for that asshat back at Obi-Wan's house?"

"Oh, Ben, it's all for you, baby," I moaned, massaging his engorged length through his jeans, and then sucked hard on his lower lip.

Ben picked up the pace, rapidly rubbing my clit in response. The intensity sent me over the fucking moon, my orgasm soaring throughout my body in powerful waves.

"Yes, Ben," I yelped, forcefully grinding against his hand. "Oh, fuck yeah!"

"Mmm, Rey," Ben murmured, tracing my lower lip with his tongue, and withdrew his hand. "I love to hear you say my name."

His brown eyes blazed with such a desirous hunger; I thought for a split second that I might come again just staring into them.

Without saying another word, Ben helped me to a standing position, and I immediately jumped into his arms, locking my legs around his waist. We remained in that position as he carried me down the hall to his bedroom, gently laying me down on the center of his small bed.

Ben left me briefly to close and lock his door, before hovering over me, pressing his body in between my legs. I rose up and unbuttoned his jeans. He clutched the back of my head as I carefully lowered the zipper.

Quickly kicking off his pants and boxer briefs, Ben removed his tank and climbed back on top of me. I stared wide-eyed at his glorious erection between my legs, my core pulsating to be connected with it. I knew that he'd probably been with many women in the past. I shuddered as I thought of how easily he'd made me climax in the kitchen. I immediately removed my shirt and bra, laying back against the comfort of his bed.

"Rey, you're so beautiful," Ben whispered against my chest, his eyebrows lifting in ultimate approval. He then took my left nipple into his mouth, suckling it roughly as he twisted the other with the fingers of his opposite hand.

I couldn't take it anymore. I needed to feel him inside me. The desire was just too overwhelming to be ignored any longer.

Shimmying out of my skirt and panties beneath him, I bent my legs and gripped his throbbing dick with my right hand. Ben let out what sounded almost like a growl as I placed him at my wet entrance.

"Make love to me, Ben, please..." I begged, and he immediately obliged, sheathing himself completely within me.

The both of us cried out in pleasure as we connected, our lips hungrily locking together. Ben began to thrust in and out of me, clutching my hips to him as I matched his movements in perfect rhythm. It was as if our bodies were made to be together like this. We fit together so effortlessly, so flawlessly. It seemed I'd been waiting my whole life for this very moment.

"Rey." Ben broke away from my lips to gasp for air. "I'm not gonna last long. You feel too fucking good."

I smiled, closing my eyes and savoring in the feeling of him inside me at last. I could have easily drowned in him.

"Oh, Rey, yes!" Ben barked, thrusting into me one last time as he reached satisfaction. "Y-yessss!"

He finally collapsed on top of me, completely spent, sweat dotting his temples. I kissed the top of his head and relaxed against the cotton sheets, holding him tight against my chest.

We stayed like that for the rest of the night, clinging to each other, comforting each other, loving each other. In the end, all we needed was each other, and we could face anything headed our way...

Or so we thought.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Please let me know what you thought of this chapter. Poor Poe, but hello, Reylo smut! Now that their first time is out of the way, we can have some fun… or maybe not. Hmm... ~ Dazzy xxoo


	7. Afterglow

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> When we left off...
> 
> Poe took Rey on a date in Richmond to get her mind off things. When they returned to Jakku, Poe and Rey were about to have sex when she accidentally screamed out Ben's name instead. This made Poe extremely angry and he left. Rey got in her Jeep and went to see Ben. Rey and Ben had a heart-to-heart conversation regarding what happened to Hux, which led to them to give into their feelings for each other and make love.

_"I have, indeed, no abhorrence of danger, except in its absolute effect - in terror."_

_~Edgar Allan Poe, "The Fall of the House of Usher"_

 

_~.~.~.~_

 

**Chapter 7: Afterglow**

**Ben's POV**

The sound of laughter woke me from my peaceful slumber that next morning. I opened my eyes, smiling at the beautiful sound I knew to be Rey's infectious laugh. I rubbed away the sleep from under my eyes and realized I hadn't slept quite that well in over two decades.

Last night had been amazing. Making love to Rey had been the single most exhilarating thing I'd ever done in my thirty-eight years on this Earth. The way she called out my name as she came, the way her lips caressed mine in the throes of passion, the way her hips rocked against me as I thrust into her; everything about her was so… intoxicating.

A thousand nights with Kaydel could have never amounted to one night with Rey.

I would never forget the look in Rey's eyes as she comforted me in my father's kitchen. The emotions that had been building over the past twenty-four hours came crashing down upon me like a two-ton boulder. The mass of guilt and shame for taking another man's life began to literally eat me alive. If Rey hadn't been there to hold me in her arms and tell me how brave I'd been, I would have surely contemplated ending my life.

Now, I had a reason to live… Rey. One single glance into her gorgeous hazel eyes had been enough to save me. I now knew why fate had made me fall in love with her mother those many years ago. Fate knew I'd meet Qi'ra's daughter one day. My heart that had turned so cold for over two decades finally had begun to warm after Rey entered my life. She had awakened the Ben Solo I'd once thought to be lost forever.

There was only one problem - that asshat of a boyfriend she'd left back at her grandfather's house. Technically, she was still his; Rey had said last night that she and Poe had been dating for almost a year. I gritted my teeth in frustration at the thought. I knew he wouldn't be too happy when he found out I'd slept with his girlfriend, though part of me delighted in the fact that she'd willingly given herself to me. I just hoped Rey felt the same way about me as I felt about her. I was terrified by the possibility that she might realize what she'd done and go running back to Poe. The thought of him even touching her made my insides burn with jealous rage.

I rolled over in my bed and felt the covers beside me, hoping to pull Rey back into my arms and never let her go. Instead, my hand was greeted with nothingness, the bare cotton sheets tickling my palms. My eyes widened, disappointment shooting through me like a lightning bolt. The laughter I'd heard earlier had only been wishful thinking; Rey had already left me and gone back to that Rico Suave wannabe.

Panicking, I immediately shot up in bed, tossing the covers back, and grabbed my boxer briefs and jeans that I'd worn last night from the floor. I quickly dressed, throwing on my wife-beater tank before heading down the hallway to the kitchen. I'd already lost her mother once; I wasn't about to lose Rey as well.

I stopped abruptly as Rey's laughter filtered into the hallway, the sound of my father's gruff voice traveling with it. I sighed in relief, my shoulders relaxing. My hands, which had curved into angry fists, loosened as I neared the kitchen.

"Your mother and Ben were inseparable when they were kids," my father spoke, his speech slurred by the paralysis in his face, which had been triggered by several strokes. "We used to call them the Wonder Twins."

Smiling, I tiptoed forward and paused on the threshold of the kitchen doorway. My senses were instantly assaulted by the fragrance of bacon, eggs, and coffee. Leaning my bare shoulder against the door frame, I crossed my arms over my chest and took in the sight before me. My father was seated in his wheelchair, sipping a cup of coffee, a broad smile decorating his face. I'd never seen him so jovial this early in the morning. Hell, he'd barely even cracked a smile since my mother left those many years ago.

"Can I have a couple more slices of bacon, Rey?" my father suddenly asked, looking toward his right.

It was then that I noticed her. She stood with her back to my father, busily hovering over the kitchen stove. She had a red-and-white checkered apron, which had once belonged to my mother, cinched around her waist, covering the lemon-yellow shirt and blue skirt she'd worn last night. Her shoulder-length, brown hair danced about her shoulders as she worked over the bacon and eggs simmering on the skillet in front of her. I didn't even need to see her face; she was radiant to me. And the fact that she was cooking breakfast for my invalid father made my dick harden beneath the fabric of my jeans.

"Sure, Han," Rey's sweet voice called as she grabbed the skillet in one hand and a spatula with the other. She turned and merrily plopped several additional slices of bacon into my father's plate. The sight of her beautiful face nearly took my breath away. "There you go."

"Thanks, Rey," my father said, chomping on his bacon. "Hey, did you know Ben wet his bed until he was ten?"

"Morning!" I rolled my eyes and made my presence known, walking into the kitchen.

"Ben, how nice of you to join us, son!" my father exaggeratedly announced as I brushed past Rey and grabbed a mug from the cabinet over the sink. "We thought you were gonna sleep all day."

"Good thing I did join you before you completely humiliated me behind my back," I jokingly remarked, pouring myself a cup of coffee and taking a hefty sip from my mug.

Rey bashfully looked up at me and smiled, returning the skillet to the stove. Her arm made brief contact with mine, igniting goosebumps along my skin. My heart did a backflip as I smiled stupidly back at her.

"Just keeping it real, Ben. Just keeping it real." My father heartily laughed and downed more bacon and eggs. "Why didn't you tell me we had company last night?"

"Because it's none of your business, old man," I replied, setting down my mug on the counter.

Rey turned around and leaned against the edge of the counter, wiping her brow with the bottom of the apron. Scooting closer to her, I wrapped my arms around her waist, and she immediately molded her body to mine. I kissed the side of her head, marveling in the fact that she was still here. Maybe she did feel the same way about me as I felt about her.

"Thank you," I whispered against her ear.

"For what?" She looked at me with a confused expression.

"For everything. You're an amazing woman," I told her, taking in the glorious scent that saturated her hair, roses mixed with honeysuckle.

"No problem." Rey smiled, a flush of heat rushing to her cheeks. She had to be the most goddamn beautiful woman on Earth. "You're not so bad yourself."

Mirroring her grin, I leaned in to brush my lips back and forth against hers, but my father's voice interrupted us.

"Ben, what's Kaydel going to think of this new development?" my father annoyingly interjected. I could have throttled him for bringing up my ex in front of Rey.

"Kaydel?" Rey gave me an upturned eyebrow, pulling away from me slightly, a hint of heartbreak in her tone. "Who's Kaydel?"

I pursed my lips together, not wanting my father's comment to ruin the post-coital bliss I currently felt. The muscles of my neck tensed as I tried to think of way to avoid this conversation for now. However, I knew I'd have to explain my complicated relationship with Kaydel to Rey soon enough.

"I-I-" I stuttered, trying to find just the right words to say when a knock on the side door broke my concentration.

"Anybody home?" a familiar voice called from behind the screen door. Fuck, it was Obi-Wan Kenobi.

I hadn't seen Obi-Wan since the incident two nights ago. Being around an officer of the law after the heinous crime I'd committed and consequently involved his granddaughter in made my heart nervously thud in my chest. The man who had supposedly murdered Qi'ra and Dryden now rotted in the waters somewhere off the James River shore. It would devastate him to learn that Armitage Hux had been alive all these years, not dead and buried in the ground as he once thought.

"Well, well, well, if it isn't Obi-Wan Kenobi!" my father exclaimed, wheeling his chair around to face the door. "Come on in, stranger."

Obi-Wan opened the screen door, letting himself into the house. "Hey, Han. I was looking for R-"

He froze when he saw my hands around Rey's waist, his hand still supporting the screen door. It might have been my imagination, but I could have sworn that I saw him reach for his gun. I went to push Rey away, but she clung to me as if I were her only lifeline.

Obi-Wan uncomfortably cleared his throat and closed the door behind him.

"Jesus, Rey, you had me worried sick," he began, putting his hands on his hips. "I come home and find your Jeep gone, no trace of you or Poe in sight. I thought he'd kidnapped you against your will and taken you back to Florida."

Rey giggled beside me, and my heart warmed at the sound of her laughter. She pulled away from me and wrapped her arms lovingly around her grandfather.

"Oh, Obi-Wan, I love you," she said.

Obi-Wan's arms responded by gripping her tiny frame tightly to his chest. I heard him release a sigh of relief, and I could tell from the expression on his face that he loved Rey more than the morning sun.

After a few seconds, Obi-Wan let Rey go, his eyes focusing solely on me.

"Ben, do you mind if I have a word with you outside?"

"Yeah, sure," I said, bracing myself for Obi-Wan's wrath, and slipped my feet into my work boots by the door. Before following him out the screen door, I glanced back at Rey briefly, and she gave me a wry smile. I heard the sound of my father grunting as the screen door slammed shut behind me. I was positive that he was getting a kick out of this whole situation.

Obi-Wan continued walking until he reached his police cruiser, which was parked near the shed where I kept my bike. I followed closely behind him, dodging several puddles of rainwater that had collected from last night's storm. I hoped with all my heart and soul that this wasn't about what had happened at the ice cream store the other night. My heart began to pound even faster in my chest when I considered the possibility that maybe a witness had come forward.

Rey's grandfather unexpectedly halted his steps, facing his cruiser for several seconds before turning around to face me.

"Ben, I'm going to be honest with you." He paused, taking a deep breath, and stuffed his hands into his trousers' pockets. "I have a pretty good idea as to what happened between you and my granddaughter last night. I can't say I'm thrilled, but Rey seems so much happier now that she's met you. She's been rather despondent these past few years since her parents died. That's all I care about, Ben - her happiness. You get me?"

"That's all I care about, too, Obi-Wan," I sincerely answered him. "I want nothing more than to make her happy."

"Good, I'm glad we can agree on that at least," Obi-Wan said, pressing his lips into a hard line, and smoothed his mustache with his fingers. "I made a promise to Qi'ra long ago that I would take care of Rey if anything happened to her. Please help me keep that promise."

I felt a lump rise in my throat at the mention of keeping Rey safe. My actions two nights ago had been less than honorable. The compulsion to confess everything suddenly rushed over me, but I couldn't find the words to speak.

"I know that you once were in love with Qi'ra, and I also know about your relationship with Kaydel Connix," Obi-Wan continued, looking warily at me. "I don't want my granddaughter to be just another notch on your belt."

"She's not another notch on my belt, Obi-Wan. Far from it," I insisted, placing a hand on his shoulder so I could look him in the eye. "She means so much more than that to me."

"I'm glad to hear you say that, Ben." He quickly brushed off my gesture and opened the door to his cruiser, wedging himself between the door and cab. "Because if you break my granddaughter's heart, I'll break your legs. You got that?"

"Loud and clear, sir," I replied, trying to quell the urge to laugh.

Obi-Wan didn't look any more menacing than a housefly. However, I revered him and admired his unabashed attempt to intimidate me in defense of Rey. I'd be a little defensive too if a thirty-eight-year-old man was hitting on my much younger granddaughter. Actually, I was surprised at how well he was taking the whole situation, considering he'd given Dryden a hard time when he first started dating Qi'ra. Something in Obi-Wan's demeanor over the years had always led me to believe he wished _I'd_ been the one to win Qi'ra's heart, instead of Dryden Vos.

"Obi-Wan, please!" an exasperated Rey yelled behind me as she hurried to meet us in the driveway.

"See you kids later," Obi-Wan smirked, obviously proud with himself. He then licked his lips, cranked his police car, and headed out of the driveway.

As I watched him drive away, Rey wrapped her arms around my waist from behind.

"Hey," I whispered, looking down at her beautiful face.

"Hey, yourself." Rey beamed up at me, biting her lower lip. She looked so damned sexy in my mother's apron. I wanted nothing more than to throw her over my shoulder, take her back to my bedroom, and show her just how sexy she was.

However, all desire suddenly ripped away from my body when she asked, giving me the glare of death, "Now, who's this Kaydel I keep hearing about?"

 

~.~

 

**Rey's POV**

 

"Kaydel's my ex," Ben blurted out as we walked along the shoreline of the James River.

After taking me for a ride on his bike to the one-mile stretch of shoreline, Ben had finally answered my question. His father, Han, had been the first to bring up this "Kaydel" character over breakfast that morning, and I had a pretty good feeling that Ben had been keeping a secret about his love life from me as well. Even Obi-Wan had mentioned her in his conversation with Ben outside of Han's house. How come he hadn't told me about her?

Ignoring my question after Obi-Wan humiliatingly had warned him not to break my heart, Ben had suggested we take a stroll down the river's edge and spend the day together. He had phoned his business partner, Finn, and asked if he could cover for Ben at the garage. I was ecstatic to waste the day away with Ben; it would be a chance to get to know him better, including his relation to this "Kaydel" person.

"Your ex as in wife, girlfriend… lover?" I questioned him, trying hard to mask my anxiousness as I awaited his answer. I dangled my ballet flats in my hands as a distraction, glancing down at my bare feet as they made imprints in the cold, wet sand.

"Well, not so much a girlfriend. She was more of a _convenience_ , you could say." Ben sighed and looked off toward the cliffs ahead of us. Hunching his shoulders, he tucked his hands into his jean pockets. A pained expression etched across his face, and I knew it was a difficult topic of conversation for him.

"Convenience?" I watched him cautiously after pulling several windswept strands of my hair back from my face. "You mean you used her."

"Well, it was mutual," Ben sharply admitted, not meeting my eyes. "Kaydel used me as much as I used her."

"Okay," I said, and decided to press the issue further. "So how did you two, um… meet?"

"We were friends in high school." Ben reached down and picked up a shiny, black stone. He held it in his palms for several seconds, running his fingers along the contours before tossing it into the brown water. "I started seeing her after your moth-"

He shot me a worried glance, placing his hands behind his head, almost as if he wasn't sure of what he should say next. He forcefully blew all the air out of his mouth and looked jadedly toward an island just off shore.

"What's wrong, Ben?" I asked when he didn't continue. I walked over to him and circled my arms about his waist, pulling him to me.

"Nothing," he said, instantly coiling his arms about my shoulders. He sighed and pressed my head to his shoulder, hugging me close. "Well, I started seeing Kaydel when I found out your mother was pregnant with you."

"Oh," I whispered, my heart racing in my chest. I didn't know what to think. He'd told me a few nights ago that he used to be in love with my mom. Finding out that she was carrying another man's child must have torn him irrevocably in two.

After an awkward silence, I said, "I'm sorry, Ben."

"Don't be. It was a long time ago. Kaydel just helped to lessen the sting of not having your mother in my life." He patted my shoulder reassuringly.

"Did you love Kaydel, Ben?" I looked up at him with tears in my eyes. I hated knowing that he'd been in pain over my mother choosing my father instead of him. My mind then shifted to thoughts of Poe, how _I_ was ultimately choosing Ben over him. My heart instantly broke for the both of them. Maybe Ben was right; I _was_ just like my mother.

"We were together off and on for over twenty years, Rey. Part of me did love her, yes." Ben pulled me taut against his chest, gently kissing the top of my head. The warmth of his body and the power of his strong arms overwhelmed me. "But I never could picture the two of us spending the rest of our lives together. It just wasn't meant to be."

"Wow… twenty years," I murmured, my eyes closing against his shoulder, listening to the rhythm of his heart as it beat in time with the current crashing to the shore. "She must've really loved you to stay with you that long."

Ben laughed, and I relished in the vibrations of his laughter as it traveled down his shoulders and against my cheek.

"Yeah, she practically begged me to marry her several times," he confessed, unwrapping his arms from around my back. He looked me straight in the eyes, his hands steadying on my shoulders. "I almost asked her once after your mother died, but something… something in my gut kept telling me that I shouldn't."

"And what was that, you think?" I coyly grinned.

Ben's eyes smoldered as I peered into them, two depthless pools of warm chocolate. Pulling my arms up, he wrapped them tenderly around his neck and placed both of his hands on my hips. I ran my fingers down the back of his neck, fingering the layers of his hair at the base.

"I think you already know the answer to that question," he spoke softly, just inches from my lips. I felt his words ripple all the way down to my waist.

"Ben." My lips broke apart with the word, my breath coming in gasps. I forced myself to break his gaze. "Last night..."

"Last night was the most amazing night of my life, Rey," Ben said without hesitation, pulling my face back to meet his. "Making love to you was..."

He closed his eyes at the memory.

"I felt the same way, Ben," I told him honestly, feeling a sudden desire to replay the events of the previous night. I closed my eyes as well and remembered the feeling of him inside me, the sensation of him gently thrusting into me.

"Was it better than with that asshat?" My eyes fluttered open, only to see Ben's expression harden. He'd asked me a similar question last night before we made love; I wondered momentarily if he was beginning to doubt my affections for him.

"Yes, Ben." I lifted onto my tiptoes, kissing him squarely on the mouth. He tried to deepen the kiss, clasping the back of my head, but I pulled back. "The best I've ever had."

"You don't know how happy that makes me, Rey." He reached up and cradled my chin with his hands, resting his forehead against mine. "I was so terrified that you were going to realize you'd made a mistake and go running back to him. I _still_ am terrified. I keep thinking you're gonna disappear."

"Ben, I'm here," I said, kissing the tips of his fingers as they brushed over my lips. I took the end of his forefinger into my mouth and sucked on it gently.

Ben's eyes flared with longing at my gesture, his breath becoming uneven.

I whispered against his fingers, "Poe found out about our date and went back to Florida… I'm _all_ yours."

"Fuck," Ben's lips mouthed the word.

Before I could register what was happening, Ben had me pinned against a nearby tree, my legs bound around his waist. His lips devoured mine as I raked my nails down his muscular back beneath his shirt.

"I want you, Rey," Ben growled, breaking apart from my swollen lips. He pulled down the neckline of my yellow shirt and bra, hungrily taking my right nipple into his mouth. His wet tongue lapped around my nipple several times before he sucked on it roughly.

"Oh, God, Ben, I want you, too," I moaned loudly, feeling the wetness growing between my legs. I hastily unfastened his jeans and reached under the elastic band of his underwear, freeing his glorious erection. "Please..."

My hand ran up and down the length of his shaft, and I felt him grow harder in my grasp with the motion. With one swift movement, Ben reached under my skirt and ripped away the cotton barrier of my panties, immersing himself deeply inside me. Our bodies lingered in that position for several excruciating seconds, my core throbbing at the sensation of him buried within me.

"Rey," Ben breathlessly spoke, looking at me with such tenderness. "I know this might sound crazy, but I think I might be… falling for you."

His thrilling words left me completely speechless.

Was I falling in love with Ben? Definitely. I had never been more sure of anything in my life. I wanted Ben with all my heart and soul.

But what would that mean for us?

I frowned as a flash of Hux's murder came rushing back into my memory - Ben pummeling my attacker's body to death amidst the backdrop of pouring-down rain. What would happen to us? My future and Ben's future were still unknown. I decided to push away those terrifying thoughts for now and focus on the present.

I smiled wider than I thought my face could allow and replied, "Me, too, Ben."

"I've never felt this way about anyone before," Ben said between heaving breaths as he began to pull in and out of me, plastering me against the rough surface of the tree.

"Not even my mother?" I asked him without thinking, still plagued by the fact that he'd once been in love with my mom. I mentally slapped myself for letting the words slip from my tongue.

Ben abruptly stopped mid-thrust, grabbing both sides of my face.

"I've forgotten all about her, Rey. She's nothing more than a faded memory," Ben assured me, sincerity permeating his eyes. "You're all I want."

I responded by greedily wrapping my lips around his, darting my tongue searchingly into his hot mouth. The hesitant part of me just needed to hear him say the words. I could easily imagine myself shrouded in Ben's warm, loving arms for the rest of my life.

Slowly pressing himself back into me, Ben resumed making love to me. My eyes whipped around to the back of my head as my hips rose up to meet him. It felt amazing, so much better than when Poe and I had made love. Poe had always seemed to rush things and never take the time to fully savor the moment. With Ben, the way he held me and touched me, I felt so treasured as if I were the most beautiful woman on the face of the Earth.

I clutched Ben's waist to me with my right leg, rubbing my clit rapidly against his body. Soon, I felt my release building, and I could sense that he was almost there, too.

"Come with me, Ben," I whimpered, latching my hands onto his shoulders.

Ben's warm brown eyes locked into mine, and he began to move more urgently against me.

"Fuck," Ben lustily grunted as he came hard inside me, his teeth gently nibbling my shoulder.

I soon followed him in satisfaction, riding out the surges of my orgasm as they swept over me. I screamed out his name at the top of my lungs, gritting my teeth together.

"Mmm," Ben hummed, taking my mouth with his lips as my orgasm subsided. "Good?"

"Oh, God, yes!" I giggled and ran my hands through my hair, my eyes rolling to the back of my head. "You have no idea."

Ben laughed, setting me down and began buttoning his jeans. "Sorry about your panties. They were in my way."

He nodded his head toward the shards of white fabric lying on the sand at his feet. I couldn't help but burst out laughing.

"Well, it was a small price to pay. Definitely worth it, though," I said and reached down to pick up my destroyed panties. My head swirled, and I almost felt lightheaded from our lovemaking session. I quickly gathered my composure. "It might be better this way… you know, if we decide to go another round later."

"Don't tempt me." Ben suddenly took me into him arms. "I might just have to take you again right now."

"You might, huh?" I placed a soft, desirous kiss in the hollow of his neck.

"Yeah, but unfortunately, we need to head back," Ben said disappointedly. "My dad..."

"Say no more," I told him, giving him a small peck on the lips. "Hey, why don't I stay and fix you two dinner tonight?"

Ben's eyes narrowed, brushing his nose back and forth against mine. "You _are_ the perfect woman."

"Of course, I am," I blatantly replied with a smug grin, taking his hand. "Let's go. We wouldn't want to keep Han waiting."

 

~.~

 

"I hope Obi-Wan's not too mad that you stayed the whole day here," Ben said thoughtfully as he walked me to my Jeep after dinner. "I know he misses you when you're away at school."

I answered frankly, "I know he does, but Obi-Wan's Obi-Wan. He'd never ask me to stay home when I could be out friends."

"Friends, huh?" Ben joked, placing his palms on either side of me, imprisoning me against the driver's side door.

"You know what I meant." I shook my head in protest of what he'd said, pressing my back to the door.

"So... will I see you again?" Ben asked almost nervously, a glimmer of hope in his eyes.

"Ben Solo, didn't you hear anything I told you earlier today?" I wrapped my arms around his waist comfortingly. "I'm not going anywhere."

Ben frowned dejectedly. "But you'll be heading back to school in a few days."

"I'm trying very hard not to think about that right now."

"Come see me tomorrow," Ben whispered, kissing me forcefully on the forehead. He pulled back, a look of desperation scattering across his moonlit face. "Please."

"I will, Ben. I promise," I assured him.

Ben pulled me in and pressed his lips to mine. This kiss was different, almost as if it was our last. A nervous knot rolled over in my stomach as I broke our kiss, angling my head downward. I turned and opened the driver's side door to my Jeep, not wanting to say goodbye, even if it was only for one night.

"Miss you," Ben said as I slid into the cab of the automobile.

I smiled back at him, cranking the engine. "Miss you, too."

As Ben leaned in to shut the door, I caught the sight of something in the passenger seat beside me. I pivoted my head slightly, and in the light from the crescent moon above, the large object vividly came into view. I froze, chills of terror undulating down my spine.

There, staring back at me, was Ben's murder weapon, the same jagged piece of plywood he had hammered into Hux's body outside the ice cream shop that night. I would have recognized it anywhere.

Then, something else caught my eye; etched along the flat edge of the board, three words in blood-red ink angrily screamed back at me:

_I SEE YOU._

I brought a shaky hand to my mouth, panic beginning to overtake me.

Someone had seen us that night. Someone who knew our secret.

"Ben!" I shrieked into the stillness of the spring night, and the world dimly faded to black.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> DUN DUN DUN! LOL, sorry for the cliffhanger this time. Who do you think "saw" Ben and Rey? As always, thanks for reading and please let me know what you thought of this chapter. ~ Dazzy xxoo


	8. Revelations

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> When we left off...
> 
> Ben woke the next morning to find Rey cooking breakfast for his father. Rey learned about Ben's relationship with Kaydel. Ben and Rey shared a smutty encounter by the river. Rey stayed for dinner, but found the board Ben had used to kill Hux with in her Jeep. The words "I see you" were written in red across it. Someone had seen what they did!

_"Some choices we live not only once but a thousand times over,_

_remembering them for the rest of our lives."_

_~ Richard Bach_

 

_~.~.~.~_

 

****

 

**Chapter 8: Revelations**

**Ben's POV**

"Rey!"

I instantly panicked and flung open the Jeep door. Rey's body fell limp into my arms, and I caught her before gravity sent her tumbling to the ground. Something had caused her to scream my name in terror, and she'd obviously fainted.

"Rey! Oh, God, Rey!"

I sunk down onto my knees and pulled her closer to my chest, running my hand down the length of her face. Gently, I nudged her cheek several times, trying to revive her. Her hazel eyes remained closed, her beautiful face illuminated by the bright moonlight overhead. I could feel the whisper of her breathing against my neck, and I knew that she was still alive.

"Please, Rey! No!" I screamed into her face, tears starting to creep their way to the surface of my eyes.

Burying my face in her chest, I cursed myself for involving her in such a heinous act of violence. Maybe she'd finally cracked under all the stress of what happened, and her body just couldn't handle it anymore.

Or maybe she'd changed her mind about me.

I raised my head, taking in her lifeless face through the blur of tears. She looked so pale and fragile as I held her there. It made my heart ache to know that I'd caused her to be in any amount of pain. Why did I cause everyone around me to be in so much pain?

Without thinking, I stood up, supporting Rey's body in my arms, and ran toward my father's house. Flinging open the screen door, I stormed down the hallway and spread Rey's rigid body on top of the bed in my room. I then raced into the kitchen and grabbed a washcloth, soaking it with ice cold water before heading back to my bedroom.

"Rey," I said calmly, pressing the cloth to her forehead with only a glimmer of hope left.

Still, there was no response.

The panicky thudding of my heart became even more erratic as I hovered over her, gripping her left hand in mine. I placed my forehead on the edge of the bed, feeling utterly hopeless.

What would Obi-Wan think of me now? I hadn't been able to protect her. Rey was all I had; I couldn't lose her.

Suddenly, I felt a gentle squeeze against my hand, waking me from my bleak thoughts. I lifted my head, renewed hope rushing back through my veins.

"Ben," Rey's soft voice spoke. It sounded so weak, so frail.

"I'm here, Rey," I said, removing the washcloth from her forehead and replacing it with a tender kiss. Her eyes fluttered open, making my heart overflow with relief. "What happened, baby? Why did you scream my name like that?"

"Ben," she whispered between breaths right below my lips. I watched her eyes cautiously, not sure if I wanted to hear the answer to my own question. "Ben, someone knows."

" _What?_ What are you talking about, Rey?" I looked at her in wonder, tracing the outline of her jaw with my fingertips. "Please, tell me!"

"In the Jeep, Ben." Rey's eyes widened at the words. "Someone knows."

"Who knows? What's in the Jeep, Rey?" I anxiously gulped, my heart plummeting within my chest at the thought of someone knowing our secret.

"Ben, everything okay in here?" My father's voice startled me from behind before Rey could answer.

I turned my head sideways and nodded.

"She's fine. Just fainted, I think." I racked my brain, trying to come up with a cover story for why she'd fainted. I felt like I was fucking ten years old, lying to my father.

I shamefully closed my eyes and blurted out, "Something got into her Jeep - a snake or something."

"Women." My dad chuckled, shaking his head, and wheeled himself into the bedroom beside Rey's form.

"Would you mind staying with her while I go check and see if it's gone?" I asked my father, rising to a standing position.

Whatever had caused Rey to faint was in that Jeep. Whatever it was had something to do with Hux's murder, and I had to find it and destroy it before someone else did.

"Sure, son," my dad said, turning to Rey, and took her hand. "Don't worry, Rey. Ben will take care of that snake… the Force is strong with him."

The playful derision of my father didn't help to ease my apprehensiveness as I headed back down the hallway and out the screen door. I paused in front of Rey's Jeep, my eyes darting to the darkened woods all around me. I could smell the distinct fragrance of smoke in the air; it hovered over me like a thick blanket as fear crept slowly and steadily into my brain. A lone wolf eerily howled somewhere off in the distance, almost stopping my heart's irregular rhythm from where I stood.

Gulping down the lump of fear lodged in my throat, I coiled my fingers around the passenger side door handle of the old red Jeep. As I cracked it open, I could sense the hairs on the back of my neck standing on end. My wide eyes soon transfixed on the cause of Rey's fainting spell, and I gasped, gripping my chin in horror.

The murder weapon, the wooden board I'd used to murder Hux, lay on the seat in clear view.

"What the fu-" I stumbled backward, landing amongst the rocks that peppered the gravel driveway. I ran my hands through my black hair, my mouth agape, my mind racing with a stream of incoherent thoughts.

I stared back at the open cab of the Jeep with disbelieving eyes, gripping the strands of my hair tightly in between my fingers. Vivid flashes of that night came soaring back to me as I sat motionless on the ground: Hux's blue eyes waxing over in terror, the haunting sound of the board slamming into his back, his bleeding fingertips grasping at the cracks in the pavement as he tried to get away, the fountain of blood seeping from the wound on the back of his head...

I closed my eyes, trying to shut out the mental images of the night I'd done the unthinkable. Before I knew it, I found myself hugging my knees to my chest and rocking back and forth as if I was some psycho in a padded room.

_Get a grip on yourself, Solo,_ I heatedly told myself, balling my hands into fists. _You have to be strong for Rey._

Regaining my composure, I stood up and carefully took two small steps back to the Jeep. I hoped with all the might left within me that what I'd seen was only a mere hallucination of my guilty conscience.

As I peered into the Jeep, all my hopes were dashed to smithereens. A chill rippled through my body all the way to my bones.

It was still there.

Slowly, I reached out a trembling hand toward the board, noticing strange, jagged markings along the edge. Blinking my eyes, I reluctantly scooped up the board into my palms and held it up in the moonlight as I read the scribbled handwriting:

_I SEE YOU._

I immediately spun around, taking in my surroundings, my heart hammering like a drum within my chest. It felt as if the forest had eyes and every single one of them was focused steadily, accusingly on me. My own eyes danced around the tree line, looking for any sign of a figure or shadow lurking just beyond the edge of the woods.

Someone had seen what had happened outside the ice cream shop. Someone knew that I'd murdered Hux. Someone was out for revenge, or at least trying to scare the shit out of both Rey and me.

In just that split second, I'd made up my mind. I was going to destroy the evidence. No one was going to intimidate Ben Solo.

I clutched the board tightly in my right arm and stormed over to the derelict shed toward the side of the house. Rummaging through several shelves on the wall, I found some lighter fluid and gathered a few old, tattered rags. I threw the rags and the murder weapon into a steel barrel my father and I used for warmth when we were outside on cold, winter nights. After dousing the contents with the lighter fluid, I lit a match and tossed it into the barrel.

As I stood there and watched the evidence of my crime burn to ash, I came to a snap decision - I was going to confess everything to Obi-Wan Kenobi. Someone knew what I'd done; there was no mistaking that fact. I couldn't just ignore it. Something had to be done, and Rey had been right. Obi-Wan would understand; he would be able to help us.

Obi-Wan also trusted me, much more than he let on. He'd always been grateful for my quick actions that day by the river when Qi’ra and I were merely teenagers. I remembered it as if it were yesterday.

It was the eve of Qi’ra's fifteenth birthday. She had come to visit my dad and me in Chandrila, and Artoo and Finn had decided to show off, trying their damndest to impress her. They'd always given me shit for having a girl as a best friend, yet they both drooled all over Qi’ra like two little puppies whenever the chance presented itself.

The Dynamic Duo had proceeded to perform several amusing backflips off the rocks, demonstrating how easy it was to dive into the raging water below. Qi'ra had been so adamant about trying it that I had finally given into her pleas and promised not to tell her father, Obi-Wan. Unwillingly, I'd led her down to a shallower area, and before I could utter a single word of caution, she'd stepped off the rock and plunged into the brown water, fully clothed.

I'd shaken my head, peered over the rock after her, and waited for her head to emerge. However, seconds upon seconds passed, and still no sign of Qi’ra.

So I did what any normal person would have done in my situation - I jumped in after her, hoping to God that I wasn't too late. I found her motionless body quickly, submerged just under the churning water. After pulling her to shore, I'd administered CPR and tried to remain calm while I waited for her breathing to return. Qi’ra soon came back to life, sputtering water out of her lungs and onto the sand beside her.

I'd taken Qi’ra back to my house to change into some dry clothes, and to our surprise, Obi-Wan was waiting to pick her up. Needless to say, we had to explain the whole situation to him and my father. Obi-Wan ended up grounding Qi’ra for a month and told her to wait in his police cruiser while he talked to me. I'd prepared myself for the worst, but amazingly, Obi-Wan didn't speak a single word. He'd just walked right up to me, shook my hand, and gave me a thankful smile.

I knew then that I'd won Obi-Wan Kenobi's trust. Whenever I was in trouble or needed anything, Obi-Wan had always seemed to come to rescue. It was as if he was paying me back for saving Qi'ra's life that day on the river. Even when Qi'ra started dating Dryden Vos, he'd always seem to show favoritism toward me. Maybe that was why he'd been so accepting of my relationship with Rey this morning. And maybe, just maybe, he would lend another helping hand this time - a time at which I needed help the most.

"Ben?" I heard my name whispered in the sweetest voice I'd ever heard.

I sighed, watching the flames devour the piece of plywood.

"Rey, what are you doing out of bed?" I asked without turning around to face her. "You fainted. You need to rest."

"I was too scared in there all by myself," she admitted, her voice quivering. The sound of her footsteps treading lightly on the dirt ground drew nearer to my position. "And I was worried about you obviously. You've been out here for almost twenty minutes."

"I told my dad to keep an eye on you," I told Rey, feeling her arms enfold around my waist. My heart ached at her touch. I didn't deserve this woman. She was much too good for me.

"I know," Rey whispered. "I told him not to worry about me, that I was fine."

I felt my face contort into a grimace. "Still, he shouldn't have left you alone."

"It's okay, Ben," she insisted, gripping me to her chest. "I'm here with _you_ now."

"Some protector I am." I scowled, my eyes lost in the glow of the fire.

"Don't be too hard on yourself, Ben," she said as her lips kissed my shoulder.

I let out a mock laugh at her words.

"You've protected me in so many ways. Give yourself some credit." Rey rested her cheek against my shoulder.

"Rey," I said, changing the subject. "I've been thinking..."

"Me, too." She raised her head from my shoulder. "I've been wondering… what if Hux wasn't dead when we dumped his body over the edge of the river?"

"Impossible," I countered, entwining my fingers with hers and pulling her hands tighter to my chest. "I checked his pulse. He was dead as a doornail, Rey."

"Hmm..." Rey balanced her chin on my shoulder. "What about the black car?"

"The black car? The one that followed you out of Chandrila?" I questioned, my pulse quickening at the thought.

Rey was right; there had been someone else. Hux had attacked Rey outside the ice cream shop and thrown her into a blue truck, not a black car.

"Yes," she confirmed, a hint of dread in her tone. "I'm starting to wonder if Obi-Wan arrested the wrong man. There could've been two black cars fitting that description in Jakku on Sunday, and it just happened to be a coincidence that the man they caught was wanted for stalking women. I mean, it's possible."

I laughed and said, "That would be quite the coincidence, but I'm willing to believe anything right now."

Twisting out of her embrace, I turned and pulled Rey into my arms. She relaxed against my chest, sighing, and I could feel the pounding of her heart as it beat in rhythm with mine.

We were both in this together. I couldn't and wouldn't let her go, no matter the consequences. Whoever was out there, trying to scare us to death, would have to get through me. I would fight until my very last breath to keep her safe.

"Whoever was driving the car probably saw what we did, Ben. What if they were in it together?" Rey asked through a sudden veil of heavy sobs.

The sound of her tears ripped a hole right through the center of my heart. I pulled her closer to my chest, if that were even possible, trying to comfort her.

"They saw what we did, and now they're out to get both of us," I affirmed, rubbing my cheek against hers in an attempt to wipe away her tears.

"Seeking revenge..." her trembling voice trailed off, the sobs brutally taking over. "I'm so sorry, Ben. This is all my fault!"

"Rey." I pulled back, placing both of my hands on each side of her face. "This is _not_ in any way your fault!"

"But Ben - he came after me! They wanted _me_ this whole time!" she screamed hysterically into the night air, rendering my heart to a thousand shattered pieces.

"Even so, I wasn't going to let them have you." I drew her back into my arms, placing one of my palms behind her head. "We're in this together, Rey. I'm not letting anything happen to you ever again. Not on my watch."

We stood there in silence for several minutes with only the sounds of the crackling flames from the barrel as our background music.

Rey finally sighed and said, "We have to tell Obi-Wan, Ben."

"I know." I sighed as well, pulling back from our embrace. "That's what I was thinking about when you came out here."

"Telling Obi-Wan terrifies me. I don't want to lose you." Her voice was so sincere. My heart began to mend itself at the sound of her words.

I closed my eyes. "Believe me. I'm petrified of telling him. It's probably the hardest thing I'll ever have to do in my life."

"Obi-Wan trusts you, Ben. I'm not exactly sure why, but he does." Rey's voice was saturated in confusion, but then her tone suddenly changed to hopeful. "I know he can get us out of this mess. He'll do anything in his power to make sure whoever's following us pays for what they did to my parents."

"I hadn't even thought of that..." My words faded as thoughts of what this possibly could mean for uncovering the truth behind Qi'ra and Dryden's deaths.

Armitage Hux was the name of the drunk driver who supposedly hit and killed Rey's parents that fateful night four years ago. Obi-Wan would probably jump at the chance to find out the hidden truth as to what really happened to Qi'ra and Dryden. However, I knew it would tear open tightly-sealed wounds and cause Obi-Wan much heartache and pain.

"It scares me to think that my parents could've died for reasons other than we thought," Rey said worriedly. "What if whoever is out to get us actually killed my parents? Maybe it wasn't Hux at all."

Rey's words spoke volumes, reading the thoughts streaming through my mind as if it were an open book. I glanced over her shoulder at the barrel of flames, instantly regretting destroying important evidence that probably could have led us to the truth.

"Oh, God, Ben… this is going to _kill_ Obi-Wan," Rey lamented, bringing a hand to her face to cover her sad eyes.

"I know, Rey." I put an arm around her shoulder and kissed the side of her head. "Come on. Let me drive you home. We'll tell him tonight… together."

Escorting her toward my father's house, I ran my hand down her arm and laced my fingers tightly between hers. We said goodbye to my father, who was too distracted by his televised baseball game to even notice, and as we left the house, I made sure all the doors and windows were locked for his added safety. I doubted that the person who was out to get us would try to attack my father, but I took all the necessary precautions just to be certain.

The fear and nervousness welled up in every cell of my being as I led Rey to her Jeep. I opened the passenger side door for her and then walked over to the driver's side, hesitantly taking my seat behind the steering wheel. My eyes stared perplexedly down at the mechanism that would carry me to my ultimate fate.

I felt as if I were standing at the edge of a precipice. I could either stay here and suffer through this horrible nightmare with Rey by my side, _or_ seek out someone's help and possibly have her ripped away from me. My heart was torn, but my head already knew the right decision.

With my head on straight, I firmly gripped the key in the ignition, turned over the engine, and drove Rey's Jeep steadily toward Jakku.

 

~.~

 

**Rey's POV**

I couldn't believe we were doing this.

Ben and I had decided to confess everything about that horrifying night to Obi-Wan. I knew that finding his murder weapon in my Jeep had been the final straw for Ben. Someone knew our secret and was out for blood. We couldn't hide what we'd done any longer, even if that meant telling the one person I cared most about in this world that I'd been an accessory to murder. Mostly, I was afraid of telling him that my parents' homicide may not have happened in the way we originally thought. The sheer thought of breaking the news to Obi-Wan sent shudders in waves throughout my entire body.

"You remind me a lot of your mother when you do that," Ben said from the driver's seat of my Jeep, cracking a hint of a smile.

"What am I doing?" I asked confusedly, looking down at my hands folded together in my lap.

"Biting your lip when you're nervous," he said and glanced at me with kind eyes.

"Oh." I forced my lips together, suddenly embarrassed. "I didn't even realize I was doing it."

"By all means, don't stop on my account." He chuckled, and the sound of his laughter made me smile. It helped to quell the uneasiness pooling in the pit of my stomach. "I find it very sexy."

"Oh, you do, huh?" I inquired bashfully, biting my lip in response.

"Yes, very much," Ben replied in his husky voice, steering the Jeep into Obi-Wan's driveway. He shifted the vehicle into park and looked over at me. "So, are you ready for this?"

Disregarding his question, I forcefully blurted out, "Ben, what were my parents like when you knew them?"

Sighing, Ben killed the engine and placed the keys on the seat beside him.

"Well," he said after a few lingering seconds, draping his arm across the seat. "Your mother was kind, passionate, smart… she had the ability to make everyone around her feel loved and needed. I've never met another woman - apart from you, of course - who made me feel more loved than she did."

"That's definitely Mom," I agreed, smiling through a blanket of silent tears that now covered my eyes. "She always made me feel like I was her whole world - as if she would do anything to make me happy."

"Yes, that's Qi’ra all right," he mused, and then laughed. "And she was clumsy..."

"I know, right?" I chuckled, stealing a glance at Ben's face. "My dad always said she'd trip over her own two feet."

"Ah, your dad..." Ben uncomfortably cleared his throat, his playful tone suddenly fading. He looked off toward the neighbor's yard. "I never really got to know your dad, Rey."

"I know," I admitted regretfully. "I'm sure it wasn't easy being friends with a guy who had the same feelings for my mom as you did."

"No, it wasn't," he said thoughtfully and shifted in his seat. "You know, no matter how cross I was with him, Dryden was always gracious to me - always polite."

"So you stayed friends even after she started dating my dad?"

"Yeah, believe it or not. She still wanted to spend time with me." Ben smiled almost deviously. "Sometimes, Dryden would even drive her to meet me."

I laughed, running a hand through my auburn hair. "That's crazy. I know how jealous my dad could be."

"Yeah," Ben said, scratching his head, and then frowned. "But he loved your mom. Like me, he would've done _anything_ for her."

"That's true." I nodded, several tears escaping my eyes at the memory of my father. "I'm guessing you didn't stay friends for long, though."

"Nope," he replied, popping the p. "My actions the night of their prom soon alienated me from her. Qi’ra wanted _nothing_ to do with me after that, so we parted ways."

"Oh, I never realized _that's_ what ended your friendship," I fretted, biting my lip again. "I thought it was..."

"You?" Ben interjected, taking my hand into his warm palm, and scooted closer to me on the seat. He held my hand up to his heart. "No, Rey. While it hurt me deeply to know she was pregnant with another guy's child… it made her happy. I'd never seen her happier than while she was pregnant with you."

I closed my hazel eyes, more tears spilling from their depths. They weren't mournful tears - far from it. They were tears of joy; it made my heart swell to know that my mother was happy while she was pregnant with me, not scared out of her mind and regretful as I'd always thought. At only eighteen, she'd had to put her life on hold to have me, finally graduating from college ten years later.

Ben wrapped me in his arms, pulling me into a comforting hug.

"Thanks, Ben." I let out a breath against his shoulder. "I needed to hear that."

"No problem," he whispered, combing his fingers soothingly through my hair. "I think Qi’ra would've wanted you to find out everything you could to bring her murderer to justice."

"Yeah, my parents did so much for me. It's time for me to take care of them, no matter the cost."

"My thoughts exactly." Ben pulled back, letting me go, but still keeping his arm extended along the top of the seat.

"Ben?" I asked, suddenly wanting to know another secret about his past with my mom.

"Yeah?" He gave me his full attention, although he seemed a little despondent.

"Did you and my mom ever...?" I let my question ask itself.

"Kiss?" He laughed, blushing, and I nodded in response. "Yeah, we kissed once."

"Really?" I felt overwhelmingly relieved at his words. The fact that they'd only kissed once meant they'd never had sex. I wasn't sure what my reaction would have been if he'd told me otherwise.

"It didn't last long, though." He sighed, crooking his lips into a suspicious grin.

"Oh, I'm sorry."

"Yeah, I was, too… she punched me. Hard," Ben admitted, his smile widening from ear to ear.

I couldn't help but giggle.

"It was after I told her that I loved her and wanted her to pick me over your dad. Boy, did I regret that one." He rolled his eyes and then flirtingly winked at me. "But I happily wore that shiner for a week or two."

I keeled over in laughter. "What happened after that?"

"Well, Dryden wasn't very happy about it. Obi-Wan found out and seemed kind of smug for days afterward."

"Totally an Obi-Wan response." I smiled at the thought of Obi-Wan being satisfied at how well he'd trained my mother to fend off attackers - even one as massive as Ben Solo.

The laughter soon faded, and the somber mood fatefully returned.

"You sure about this?" Ben finally broke the silence, restlessly running his hands down his thighs.

"I'm sure," I said confidently, retrieving the set of keys off the seat between us.

"No matter what happens?" Ben's question was more of a statement as if he was trying to convince the both of us.

"Yes."

"Rey," Ben whispered, leaning forward to grab my chin and kissed me dead on the lips. He then pulled back and stared intently into my eyes.

"Whatever happens, please know that I care about you very much and I’ll stop at nothing until we’re together again." He took the words right out of my mouth. I closed my hazel eyes briefly to savor his words.

"I care about you too, Ben," I reciprocated wholeheartedly, my eyes fluttering open. “I won’t either.”

It thrilled me to know that I felt this way about Ben, but it also terrified me just the same. We had only known each other for five days.

Ben half-smiled as if it physically hurt him to hear those meaningful words escape from my lips. He then exited the Jeep and opened the passenger side door for me.

Grabbing onto my hand, he kissed it tenderly before leading me up the steps to Obi-Wan's front door.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Not much action in this one, just some transition and revelations (hence the chapter title), but I hope you still enjoyed it! Rey & Ben tell Obi-Wan in the next chapter. How do you think he'll take the news? Chapter 9 might leave a little lemony taste in your mouth as well. We'll see. ;) Please let me know your thoughts. ~ Dazzy xxoo


	9. Only Fools Rush In

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> When we left off...
> 
> Ben found the board he'd used to kill Hux with in Rey's Jeep. He decided to get rid of it and destroyed it. Rey and Ben both agreed to tell Obi-Wan what happened since someone obviously had seen what they'd done. Ben drove Rey back to Obi-Wan's house to tell him and they confessed how much they cared about each other.

_ "Wise men say only fools rush in, but I can't help falling in love with you. Shall I stay? Would it be a sin If I can't help falling in love with you?  _

_ Like a river flows surely to the sea, Darling, so it goes. Some things are meant to be. Take my hand, take my whole life too, for I can't help falling in love with you."  _

_ ~ Elvis Presley, "Can't Help Falling in Love" (words and music by George Weiss, Hugo Peretti, and Luigi Creatore)  _

 

_ ~.~.~.~  _

 

****

 

**Chapter 9: Only Fools Rush In**

 

**Rey's POV**

 

"Goodnight, Obi-Wan." 

The front door suddenly opened, startling us, as Ben and I walked up the steps leading to the house. A middle-aged woman with short, blonde hair stepped out onto the porch, stopping dead in her tracks when she saw us.

"Larma?" Ben questioned, his face twisted in confusion. 

"Ben," she warily said his name, looking back at Obi-Wan, who had curiously popped his head out the door. 

Obi-Wan stared wide-eyed at the woman named Larma, almost as if he were a small child caught with his hand in the cookie jar, and leaned against the door frame, crossing his arms over his chest. 

"What are you doing here?" Ben continued, glancing down at our hands wound together and then at my face. I furrowed my eyebrows at him, and tried to read his puzzled expression. 

"Well, um… just brought Obi-Wan some dinner and we got to talking. Isn't that right, Obi-Wan?" Larma answered, eyeing my grandfather, who looked suddenly embarrassed. 

"Uh, right." Obi-Wan tightened his arms around his chest, and I noticed his gray hair appeared somewhat disheveled. Even a few of the buttons on his red flannel shirt were fastened into the wrong holes. My jaw almost dropped to the floor. 

Obi-Wan cleared his throat. "Larma was just leaving, Rey." 

"Is this the famous Rey?" Larma happily grinned, turning to me. I nodded and forced a befuddled grin. "Oh, Obi-Wan, she's gorgeous! I think she may take after your side of the family." 

She peered over her shoulder at Obi-Wan, who worriedly licked his lips and sighed in response. It was his usual nervous tick. 

"Rey, this is Larma D'Acy, an old friend of mine," Ben introduced her, obviously trying to ease the awkwardness of the situation. 

Larma reached out her right hand, and I let go of Ben's hand to shake hers. 

"Thanks for the compliment. It's nice to meet you." I smiled from ear to ear, stealing a peek at my grandfather, as everything began to click into place. Obi-Wan wasn't the only one who had found love recently. Maybe that's why he'd been a little chipper than usual when I came home from school last Friday. I couldn't be happier for my grandfather; he had been a bachelor for as long as I could remember. 

"Likewise, Rey. Obi-Wan won't shut up about you half the time," Larma said as her blue eyes focused now on Ben's left hand, which immediately wrapped around my right. "So I guess I'm not the only one who's been slumming it in Jakku lately, huh, Ben?"

I sensed humor in her tone. 

"Larma, please!" Obi-Wan's discomfited voice tried to silence her. 

"I'm only kidding, Obi-Wan. Ben knows that." The woman who had won my grandfather's affections sighed, pulling the sides of her fleece jacket closer together and repositioning the crimson scarf around her neck. "Well, I better head back to Chandrila. Mara's bringing her husband and the grandkids up from North Carolina for Han's cookout Friday night. They should be getting in early tomorrow morning." 

"Mara's coming?" Ben asked, almost angrily, squeezing my hand in a death grip. I wondered for a brief moment why he was using that tone with her. 

"Just for a few nights, Ben. I haven't seen the grandkids since Gial's um…  _ passing _ a year ago." Larma appeared saddened all of a sudden, and I gathered from her statement that Gial must have been her deceased husband. She quickly composed herself. "Well, goodnight, boys." 

"Goodnight," Ben and Obi-Wan said at the same time, and then glanced at each other, astounded. 

"It was great meeting you, Rey." Suppressing a giggle, Larma waved and headed down the steps to her waiting car. 

I turned and gave my grandfather a knowing look with a slight smirk on my face. He held up his arms in surrender. 

"Not one word, Rey," Obi-Wan said, rolling his eyes, and then asked Ben, "Just dropping my granddaughter off?" 

Ben squeezed my hand once more and nodded, reminding me of our initial purpose for being there together. 

"Well, Obi-Wan, there's something we would like to discuss with you," I spoke up, grasping Ben's hand tighter for added strength. 

"No, no, no." Obi-Wan vehemently shook his head and raked his hands through his silvery hair. "You two are NOT running away and getting mar-" 

"Uh, Obi-Wan," Ben laughingly interjected. "While I like your granddaughter and all, I don't think we're quite ready to take that step yet. I'm afraid what we need to discuss is a little more serious than that." 

Obi-Wan's expression suddenly hardened. "Well, come on in… uh, Ben." He cleared his throat. "I'm all ears." 

"Thanks, Obi-Wan," Ben said, escorting me across the threshold and into the house. 

The three of us went into the living room, and I could feel the surge of apprehensiveness swelling in my mind and in the pit of my stomach. Ben and I took a seat on the forest green couch, and Obi-Wan sat across from us in his leather recliner. 

"Jeez, you two look as if someone died," Obi-Wan half-joked, folding his palms together and resting his elbows on his knees. 

Ben and I glanced at each other solemnly, and I shifted my body nervously atop the cushion. 

"Well, Obi-Wan… someone did," I said, hearing Ben loudly gulp, and felt his hand tremble as it held mine. 

"What do you mean?" Obi-Wan's eyes grew wide, shifting his gaze to Ben. "Not Han." 

"No, my dad's fine, Obi-Wan." Ben paused and took a deep breath, glancing at me for reassurance. I nodded, biting my lower lip, and tried to keep myself from completely losing my mind as well. "Well, when I took Rey out for ice cream Monday night, it was raining, so I had her stay in the car..." 

"Yeah?" Obi-Wan anxiously questioned when Ben was quiet for a few seconds. 

"A man attacked her while I was inside," Ben revealed, running his shaky thumb back and forth over mine. 

The memory of Hux's passionate face came charging back to me in that moment, and I could almost feel the impression of his rough hands constricting about my wrists. I shuddered at the sensation, closing my eyelids tightly, as if to purge the memory from my brain. 

"Rey, why didn't you tell me?" Obi-Wan's question made me open my eyes. Shock immediately flooded his face. 

"She didn't tell you, Obi-Wan," Ben spat out, grinding his teeth together, "because I begged her not to." 

"Ben, why would you do something like that? I could've gone after that bastard and had him locked up for good," Obi-Wan frustratingly bellowed, coming onto his feet. His hands curled into fists, and he looked as if he were ready to pounce my boyfriend for not telling him about the attack. 

"Because I-I…  _ killed  _ him, Obi-Wan." Ben let go of my hand and placed his head between his knees, gasping for breath. I immediately put my arms around him for comfort, but he suddenly jerked away, raising his head to look at my grandfather. "I beat the shit of out him for what he was going to do to Rey, and now he's dead!" 

"Holy shit..." Obi-Wan swore under his breath, rubbing his jaw with his fingers. 

"I didn't mean to do it, Obi-Wan," Ben pleaded, clasping his hands fiercely together. I could see the veins angrily pulsating beneath his skin of his forearms. "Something just snapped, and I couldn't force myself to stop." 

"Uh..." Obi-Wan blinked his eyes in disbelief as if he were trying to mask his emotions, and then went completely into cop mode. "Where's the body?" 

"We dumped it in the river in Chandrila," I timidly admitted when Ben didn't answer. 

"You helped him, Rey?" Disappointment flashed across Obi-Wan's face as the question sent daggers into my heart. 

"Obi-Wan, I'm sor-" I shamefully started to say, looking down at the carpeted floor, but Ben irately cut me off. 

"Don't blame her, Obi-Wan." Ben came to a standing position in front of my grandfather, and readily pressed his forearms together, his hands held upward. "If you want to place the blame on anyone, it's me. I'm the one who killed Hux, and  _ I  _ should be the one who is punished for it." 

"Hux?" Obi-Wan asked, utterly dumbfounded. He stole a quick glance at me, and then turned his attention back to Ben. "You knew who he was?" 

"Yes. The man I…  _ killed  _ was… Armitage Hux," Ben disclosed, holding his head down, as if trying to avoid my grandfather's reaction. 

"That's not funny, Ben," Obi-Wan uneasily huffed. I knew the very mention of the man who allegedly killed my parents would madden him. "Armitage Hux has been dead and buried for four years!" 

"You're wrong," Ben countered, lifting his head to look into Obi-Wan's eyes. "We checked his wallet. It was him." 

"It can't be..." Obi-Wan sat back down on his recliner and ran his hands down the slopes of his cheeks, gathering them at his mouth. "I saw the son of a bitch's body with my own eyes… it was crushed beyond recognition, but we were able to match up his dental records." 

"I know that, Obi-Wan, but this guy had a picture of Rey in his wallet." Ben reached down and grabbed my hand again. I stood up and melted into Ben's embrace as his arms wrapped around me. "Why would he have a picture of her if he wasn't involved in the accident somehow?" 

"He had a picture of Rey? Shit." Obi-Wan pressed his palms to his forehead and massaged his temples. It hurt me deeply to see my grandfather this way. I knew his heart was breaking, having to recall the images of the night my parents died and the murderer who was responsible. 

"We think he faked his own death and came back to murder Qi'ra and Dryden's only daughter." Ben desperately kissed the top of my head, shutting his eyelids securely together. "I was  _ not  _ going to let that happen." 

"Why would he do that, Ben?" Obi-Wan confusedly inquired, rising up from the recliner to meet us. "Why would he want to kill Rey?" 

"We don't know, Obi-Wan," I told my grandfather, giving him an optimistic expression. "We were hoping you could help us figure this all out." 

"I'm just stunned at all of this," Obi-Wan answered, stroking the back of his neck. I had never seen my grandfather so panicked. "Are you telling me everything? You're not leaving anything out, are you?" 

"Well… the board I used to hit Hux with… someone found it and put it in Rey's Jeep tonight as some sort of sick joke." Ben gulped. "Someone knows what happened. Someone witnessed it, and is out to scare us to death." 

"I was afraid you were going to say something to that effect." Obi-Wan looked back at my boyfriend, putting his hands on his hips. "Where is it now?" 

"I destroyed it," Ben admitted, glancing down at his feet. 

"What?" Obi-Wan seemed to be getting more frustrated by the minute. I could already make out the fiery glint in his eyes. "You shouldn't have done that, Ben." 

"I'm sorry, Obi-Wan. I know it could've had contained evidence to finding out who was behind all of this mess. I regret it now." 

"I'll say," Obi-Wan agreed, and then he was quiet for several excruciatingly-long seconds. He seemed to have drifted into a daze from everything we had told him. 

"Ben?" 

"Yes, Obi-Wan," Ben replied, his expression uncertain. 

"Thank you," Obi-Wan simply said, his eyes softening. 

"For what?" 

"For protecting my granddaughter." Obi-Wan became choked up with emotion, a hint of tears glistening now in his eyes. "I don't think I could have handled losing Rey too." 

"Of course," Ben responded with a nod, pulling me tighter against his chest. 

The two men I cared about more than my own life stood in the living room in silence. I sent out an unspoken prayer, thanking my lucky stars that Obi-Wan didn't completely flip out and haul us down to the station right then and there. I wasn't sure why I ever doubted him. 

"Where's your car?" Obi-Wan suddenly asked Ben, making me jump. 

"At my house. Why?" Ben let me go, but clung to my hand as if he instinctively knew I needed that connection to him to stay strong. 

"We need to get rid of it," Obi-Wan firmly said. 

"Why do we have to do that, Obi-Wan?" I interjected. 

"Because I'm assuming Hux's dead body didn't just get up and walk all the way from the ice cream shop to the river." Obi-Wan's eyes focused on me, and then averted to Ben. "We can't risk his body washing ashore with fibers from the car's upholstery on his clothes. It's too easy to trace back to you." 

"But everyone in Chandrila knows I drive an Impala. They could easily rat me out to the cops if they wanted to." Ben's face filled with worry. 

"With just a few calls, I can make sure there's no trace of you ever owning one," Obi-Wan said confidently. "There'll be no record to support their statements." 

"Thank you, Obi-Wan." Ben's shoulders relaxed in ultimate relief. 

I broke free from Ben's grasp and hugged my grandfather around the neck to show my appreciation. I could feel his unconditional love for me radiating off every fiber of his skin. 

"I also know a place down in Ahch-To," Obi-Wan continued, holding me close as if he might never let me go. "An auto salvage place. The owner was a friend of mine when I trained for the force many years ago. We'll drive down there tomorrow morning and have the Impala destroyed."

 

~.~

 

"Rey, you still awake?" I heard Ben's voice in a low, velvety whisper as I lay awake in my bed, staring mindlessly up at the ceiling. 

"Yes, everything okay?" I rolled myself underneath the covers so that I was facing the open bedroom door. 

Ben's large form stood in the doorway. The soft light from the hallway trickled into the room, illuminating his beautiful face. His round biceps bulged from beneath the black fabric of his shirt, and I had to remember to breathe as I took in the sight before me. 

"Yeah, Obi-Wan sent a couple of squad cars over to my dad's house," Ben said, coming into the room and carefully shutting the door. "They'll make sure nothing happens to him while I'm here." 

"Ben, you shouldn't worry about me so much." I brushed the hair back from my face and sat up in the bed, gathering the covers around my waist. "You should've stayed with your dad." 

"I couldn't leave you, Rey," he opposed, sitting down on the bed beside me. He reached out and took my left hand in his. "I would've been worried out of my mind. Obi-Wan and I both suspect that whoever it is out there wants you and nothing else. I'll do everything in my power to protect you." 

I sighed, feeling the warmth of Ben's hand in mine. He always knew just the right words to say to calm me. While I was concerned about his father all alone in his house, it eased my mind to know that someone was keeping watch over him. I also was equally thankful that Ben was here with me. I didn't know how I would have survived the night not knowing if he were safe. 

"Where's Obi-Wan?" I peered up at Ben's face, intertwining my fingers with his. 

"Downstairs." Ben laughed, and a mischievous grin played across his pink lips. "He's taken up post on the couch with his shotgun. He wanted me to stay up here with you tonight for extra protection." 

"Really? He willingly agreed to let you stay in my room with me tonight?" I asked in disbelief, returning his smile. 

"I don't think he's too worried about us sleeping in the same room together, Rey," he replied, pushing himself off the bed. "Not when there's a possible threat on your life." 

"Right," I concurred, watching Ben take the quilt from the foot of my bed and spread it out on the rug beside the nightstand. "What are you doing?" 

"Making the floor a little more comfortable." Ben adjusted the quilt on the floor, and then reached across me to grab one of the pillows off my bed. 

"Do you really think I'm going to let you sleep on the floor when there's plenty of room beside me here?" I temptingly patted the empty space beside me on the bed. 

"Rey," Ben said, kneeling beside the bed, and placing his hands on the mattress in front of me. "Obi-Wan already suspects that we've slept together. I don't want to give him any further encouragement in his suspicions. I also don't want him to go back on his word to help us out of our situation. He could easily turn me in, and I could go to jail. Do you want that?" 

"No," I murmured, thoroughly disappointed, but I knew he was right yet again. 

"Good." Ben leaned in and kissed my forehead before pulling back to untie his boots. 

Huffing, I laid back against the soft comfort of my bed, and soon heard Ben position himself beside me on the floor. 

"Ben?" I asked after several minutes of listening to his steady breaths. 

"Yeah, Rey." The rugged tone of his voice pierced the quiet tranquility of the room. 

"What you said in the Jeep before we came in..." I didn't finish my sentence. Instead, I fearfully chewed on my bottom lip. 

"You mean when I said I would do anything to be with you," Ben read my mind like an open book. I heard him shifting on the floor, possibly rolling over on one side. 

"Yes," I answered, and rolled over in the direction of his voice. I placed my right arm under the pillow and clutched it closer to my head. "Did you mean it, or was it said out of fear that you might not ever see me again?" 

"I meant every word." Ben sighed. "I want to be with you, Rey. Only you." 

"I want you too." A small tear escaped my eye and ran down my cheek, absorbing into the pillowcase below. "It's just… this happened all so suddenly. I'm afraid that what I'm feeling may just be because of the situation we're in… you know, with Hux and all." 

"You're having second thoughts..." Ben's voice wavered as he spoke almost as if he were upset. 

"Maybe I am," I confessed timorously, feeling more moisture seep from the corners of my hazel eyes. "I don't know." 

"Rey." Ben came onto his knees beside the bed, looking into my eyes. He took my left hand and pressed it to his chest just above his heart. "Do you feel that?" 

I closed my eyes, revelling at the even, unbroken rhythm of his heart. Its music was soothing and calming like a lullaby. I could have easily drifted off to sleep listening to its hypnotic beat. 

"My heart races every time I'm near you, Rey. When I touch you, when I brush my lips against yours, when I hold you in my arms." Ben's brown eyes gleamed in the faint streak of moonlight that filtered into the room. "Hell, it even aches when you're not next to me. You're a part of me now, Rey. I'll never be whole again without you." 

"Ben, I don't know what to say." I was at a complete loss for words. The warmth of his skin against my hand was exhilarating. 

"Do you love me, Rey?" Ben shamelessly asked, my hand still pressed to his heart. "Can you just lay there and deny what's happening between us? Don't be afraid. I feel it too." 

"I am afraid, Ben." I looked away in disgrace. If I wholeheartedly gave my love to him, I could possibly get hurt further down the road. Our age difference began to worry me, too. He was so much older than I was. Who knew what I would feel when I turned thirty or even forty? Would my feelings for him still be the same? 

"Of what?" His forefinger lifted my chin. 

"Of everything," I honestly told him. 

"Rey, if you're worried that I'm gonna to leave you, you're wrong. I'll  _ never  _ leave you. We met for a reason last Saturday night. I know it sounds completely crazy, given we've only known each other for a few days, but I want you, baby - all of you, for as long as you want me." 

As I gazed into his deep brown eyes, I knew every word from his mouth exuded truth. And I knew was that I wanted him as well. 

"I love you," Ben said softly, cupping my face in his hands. He pulled my head toward his and placed a small kiss to my lips. 

As he pulled back, I whispered, my eyes closed, "I love you, too." 

I opened my eyes only to see Ben's grin stretch across the breadth of his face. He leaned in for another kiss, officially sealing our love for each other. His plump lips tasted warm and delicious, but my body craved more in that moment. Ben had just said that he wanted all of me, and I greedily, shamefully wanted  _ all  _ of him.

I gripped the back of his head, holding his lips firmly to mine as I devoured them. I came onto my knees, using one of my hands to maneuver the sheets out from under them. 

Moving with me, Ben stood beside my bed, his lips still hungrily sampling mine. I ran my hands up his well-toned arms and traced the lines of the black tattoo on his right shoulder underneath his sleeve, slowly reaching my destination around his neck. 

Ben clutched me tightly around my waist, pressing his raging erection against my pelvis. He lustfully bit my bottom lip when I automatically began to grind against him.

"Rey, we can't do this… not with Obi-Wan downstairs," Ben panted into my ear after breaking away from my lips. His forehead fell to my shoulder in frustration. I knew he was right, but I also knew I couldn't fight back my ever-growing need for him. It was too difficult to control.

I lifted his head with a hand under each ear, forcing him to look into my eyes.

"Ben, I want to make love to you. Please," I whispered just millimeters from his lips. "I'll be very quiet, I promise."

"Oh, I'm not worried about you being quiet," he said with a tiny smirk. "It's me I'm worried about."

I left out a subdued chuckle, and seductively bit my bottom lip. He had told me earlier that he found the action sexy.

"Oh… damn it all to hell." Ben forcefully pulled my head toward him and molded his lips to mine.

I smiled against his lips, secretly rejoicing that he had given into me so easily.

Pushing him down on the bed, I straddled his waist and ran my hands up the cotton fabric of his t-shirt. Ben sat up briefly and helped me remove it from his body. He then lay his head back down against the pillows, placing his hands underneath my teddy, and clasping them to my bottom.

"You're not wearing any panties," Ben said breathlessly, his eyes wide with shock.

"Nope, I'm not." I shook my head at him, blushing, and coyly placed the forefinger of my right hand in my mouth. "Remember, you destroyed them earlier."

"Well, fuck me."

"Gladly." I giggled, sneaking my palms up his abdominals, memorizing every curve of each muscle as I went.

Leaning forward, I jutted out my tongue and ravenously traced the grooves between his abs. His skin tasted like hot, melted caramel beneath my tongue, and I greedily relished in the glorious flavor that was Ben Solo.

Using my tongue as my guide, I unhurriedly ascended to his nipples and sucked hard on the left one.

"Shit," Ben murmured, and I could feel the vibrations of the word against my mouth.

I raised my head and gave my love an amorous grin.

Ben's lips parted as he whisperingly begged, "Please, Rey."

I instantly returned my lips to his chest, tracing a line down the middle of his pectorals all the way to his bellybutton. I felt Ben suck in a breath as my lips reached the top of his jeans. My fingers soon found the button and zipper, slowly releasing him from his pants and boxer briefs. His beautiful erection lay out before me, and I cravingly licked my lips at the sight, my mouth beginning to water.

Grasping him in my hands, I lowered my head and gently kissed the tip of his dick.

"Oh, yes," Ben moaned as I glided my tongue down his length and back up again. "Suck it, Rey. Please."

Without hesitating, I encased my mouth around him and began to suck roughly.

"Fuck." Ben fastened his hands around my head, guiding himself toward the back of my throat.

I relaxed my throat and let him do the work, while still using my tongue to intensify his pleasure.

Suddenly, Ben stopped his frantic movements, grabbing onto my shoulders.

"I need to be inside you now."

Smiling, I let him drop from my mouth and demurely replied, "Yes, sir."

I then climbed on top of him, placing my bent knees on either side of his waist. Ben powerfully fisted the bottom of my teddy, and I raised my arms as he tugged it over my head. He tossed it heftily into the darkness of the room.

"You're so beautiful, Rey." He ran his calloused right palm down the valley between my bare breasts. My breath hitched in my throat as his fingers descended and grazed the place that achingly hungered for him. "You take my breath away. I can't believe you're all mine."

"I can't believe you're mine," I said, leaning forward to press my lips to his. "Now, relax and let me make love to you."

Ben didn't say another word as I supported myself with one arm and reached between my legs with the other, placing him at my wet entrance. I slowly lowered myself down on him, allowing him to completely fill me body and soul.

Grabbing onto my hips, Ben pushed upward as I gradually started to rock back and forth on top of him.

Soon, we set an unhurried pace, and Ben's strong hands continued to guide my gentle thrusts against him.

The feeling of Ben inside me could not be rendered into words, except for one: love. I could feel his love for me with every movement, every touch, as we connected in the most intimate way possible.

I rocked forward slightly, massaging my clit, as I thrust myself against him. Realizing what I was doing, I began to feel empowered by the way our bodies were positioned, and not to mention, incredibly sexy.

"Come for me, baby," Ben groaned, closing his eyes. "Come."

I increased my pace, stroking myself, faster and harder. I watched with devilish delight as Ben's expression contorted in pleasure with my frantic movements, his eyes still closed. I could tell he wouldn't last much longer.

Feeling my orgasm surmount, I firmly shut my eyes and concentrated on bringing myself to release.

"Open your eyes, Rey," Ben swept the hair back from my face and tucked several strands behind my ears. My eyes fluttered open. "I want to look into your eyes when you come."

I braced my right hand on his chest, staring fixedly into his gorgeous brown eyes as I rapidly rubbed myself against him. I wanted to stare into those eyes forever.

"B-" I cried out, my release beginning to climax, but before I could scream the rest of his name, I felt a ferocious hand cup over my mouth.

Silently thanking him for his quick thinking, I rode him harder, the surges of my orgasm careening over me in tidal waves. I clenched my teeth around one of his fingers to keep from crying out into his hand again.

Ben's body then buckled beneath me, and I felt him release inside me as the last few waves of my orgasm receded. He groaned loudly, and I leaned down, silencing him with my lips. My gaze never deflected from his once.

With one final thrust, Ben fixed his palms around my cheeks and kissed me fervently. I felt it all the way to my knees.

"I love you," he said, pulling away. I crumpled on top of him, laying my head against his chest.

Our uneven breaths soon became the only sounds that permeated the room, and then, Ben heartily laughed.

"What's so funny?" I asked, raising my head from his chest.

"I just realized that we're going to have to face Obi-Wan in the morning," Ben answered, grinning widely.

I nervously bit one of my nails. "Oh, God, do you think he heard us?"

Not even a second after the last word crossed my lips, we both jumped as the echo of what resembled a gunshot resounded from somewhere downstairs.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> As promised, I gave you a little smut action in this chapter. What do you think of Obi-Wan's reaction? What do you think happened downstairs? I would love to know your thoughts. ;) Thanks for reading! ~ Dazzy xxoo


	10. The Storm and the Calm

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> When we left off...
> 
> Ben and Rey told Obi-Wan everything that had transpired over the past few days. Obi-Wan vowed to help them cover up the murder by offering to destroy Ben's car just in case Hux's body was found. Ben stayed the night in Rey's room to keep watch over her, while Obi-Wan stayed downstairs to guard the rest of the house. Rey ended up seducing Ben into making love on her bed. Just as they finished, they heard a gunshot from somewhere downstairs...

_"Fire can make a conscience clean. Strike the match, we'll see."_

_~Anberlin, "There is No Mathematics to Love and Loss"_

 

~.~.~.~

 

 

**Chapter 10: The Storm and the Calm**

 

**Ben's POV**

 

"Shit!" I swore at the sound from downstairs, rising up from the bed. "I knew this was a bad idea."

"Ben, I'm so sorry." Rey quickly dismounted my lap and ran her fingers through her hair. Her cheeks flushed, and a panicked look shot across her features.

"It's okay, Rey. It was just as much my fault as yours," I told her, my eyes raking over her nude body as she stood before me.

Against my better judgment, I knelt on top of the bed and reached out my right hand to cup her left breast. It felt so soft, yet firm, against my skin. Even though I knew her grandfather could burst through the bedroom door at any second, I couldn't resist the urge to wrap my lips around her pert nipple.

"You're just too damn sexy." I lapped my tongue around the peak once, peering up at her in nothing but adoration. "I'm finding it very difficult to keep my hands off you."

Her gorgeous hazel eyes locked into mine, and she responsively bit her bottom lip. My dick instantly hardened at the sight.

So. Fucking. Sexy.

My mind was still reeling from what Rey had confessed to me earlier. She loved me, and I could hardly believe how goddamn lucky I was to have her in my life.

"Ben..." Rey's sweet voice whispered. At the same time, I felt her fingers sweep through my hair and force my head back from her tits. "Obi-Wan, remember?"

"Oh, yeah, right," I managed to say, blinking and shaking my head to rid it of her spell.

I took a deep breath in through my nose, trying to calm myself down, and realized the entire room reeked of sex. Fuck, Obi-Wan was going to have me castrated. I should have known better than to sleep with his granddaughter under his own roof.

Scrambling to my feet, I hurriedly searched the dark bedroom for my clothes, which were now strewn across the floor. Rey did the same, and once we were dressed, I slowly opened her bedroom door and peeked out into the upstairs hallway.

"Stay here, Rey," I warned, holding up my palm toward her.

"No, I want to come with you," she begged and clasped her hands onto my arm in a vice grip. Her worried eyes melted any resolve I still possessed. "We're in this together."

"Okay, just stay behind me," I caved, cautiously stepping out into the hallway. "We still don't know why Obi-Wan shoot his gun in the first place. It could be an intruder."

Taking one step at a time, I shielded Rey with my arms as we passed her mother's old bedroom and reached the top of the stairs.

"Obi-Wan?" I called, pausing on the top step. "Everything okay down there?"

No answer.

"Stay here." I kissed Rey's forehead and carefully descended several steps before calling out again, "Obi-Wan?"

Taking the remainder of the steps, I noticed a dark shadow, silhouetted against the front door in the bright moonlight. My heart racing, I looked back up at Rey and pressed a finger to my lips. She placed a hand over her mouth and clung to the banister for extra support.

I slowly crept toward the door, reaching into Obi-Wan's umbrella stand and grasping hold of the first makeshift weapon I could find.

 _Ah, a baseball bat. Nice one, Obi-Wan_ , I thought to myself.

Holding the bat securely to my chest, I quietly plastered my back against the wall. My eyes fixated on the doorknob as it gradually started to turn, the door extending outward with the motion. I stepped forward, my hands tightly gripping the bat, and raised it up over my right shoulder in preparation to strike. I was going to protect Rey and Obi-Wan at all costs, fighting to the bitter end. No one would ever hurt them again.

The door violently swung open, and I immediately loosened my grip on the bat when I realized who was standing in the doorway. My heart fell in my chest as I took a deep breath and sighed in relief.

"Damn raccoons," Obi-Wan swore, scraping the mud off his boats on the rug just inside the door. He then saw me standing there with the bat in my hands and chuckled. "Not to worry, Ben. Everything's fine. Just some raccoons trying to rummage through the garbage out back."

"Obi-Wan!" Rey raced down the stairs in nothing but her silk nightgown and wrapped her thin arms around his neck. He held her tightly against his chest, kissing her hair. "Thank God you're okay. I was so worried."

As Obi-Wan hugged her, the bottom of her nightgown inched up slightly, revealing the soft curves of her ass. I tried to look away, but to no avail.

Obi-Wan's eyes pointedly focused on me, and I swiftly darted my gaze upward to the shotgun he now held firmly against Rey's back. I flinched at the symbolism - Obi-Wan holding a gun between Rey and me. It was my ultimate fear.

Regaining my composure, I deflected my eyes and slipped the bat back into the umbrella stand.

 _On second thought,_  I silently mused, retrieving the bat to keep upstairs for the remainder of the night.

"Why don't you two head back upstairs?" Obi-Wan suggested, letting Rey go.

"Night, Obi-Wan," Rey said and kissed his cheek before turning to me. She exaggeratedly wiped her brow to show me how relieved she was that we weren't caught in the act. That's what I assumed anyway, though I knew better; Obi-Wan knew exactly what we were doing upstairs. It was written all over his face. Not to mention the fact that I was just caught red-handed staring at her perfectly-rounded ass.

Rey then flew up the stairs, leaving me alone with her grandfather.

"Better head up, too, Ben." He eyed me up and down, the shotgun draped across his left arm. "We need to get an early start if we're gonna head down to Ahch-To tomorrow."

"Sure," I said, walking languidly toward the stairs and swinging the bat at my side.

"Oh, and Ben?" Obi-Wan called as I took the first step. I froze, not turning around to face him. "You might want to zip up your fly."

I closed my eyes, glancing down at my waist in utter humiliation. I almost shit my pants, hoping to God that he didn't have the shotgun aimed at my back.

"Um… thanks, Obi-Wan." I gulped and quickly zipped up my jeans before taking the stairs two at a time to rejoin Rey.

"And if I'm not mistaken, the tag's supposed to go toward the back of the shirt not the front..."

"Fuck," I muttered under my breath when I reached the top of the stairs. I pulled the front collar of my shirt outward and noticed the white tag jutting out from beneath the seam.

"Goodnight, Ben," Obi-Wan added with another chuckle. "Sleep well."

I could have sworn I heard him cock the gun before I headed into Rey's room.

 

~.~

 

The rest of the night passed without incident. Having barely escaped humiliation downstairs with Obi-Wan, I had insisted that I sleep on the floor beside Rey's bed. I had already pushed the limits of our relationship in front of Obi-Wan, and I didn't know how much longer he would tolerate me being in the same room with her alone. Therefore, I resolved to be a good boy, no matter how much I wanted to nestle beside my beautiful girlfriend and feel her heartbeat next to mine.

Early that next morning, Obi-Wan drove Rey and me to my father's house in Chandrila to retrieve my Impala. I stood there in the driveway for several minutes, my eyes taking in the Chevy I'd practically built from the wheels up with my bare hands. Flashes of the good times I'd spent in that very same vehicle for over half of my life came rushing back to me: the first time I'd gotten laid in the backseat, the first real cry I'd ever had after my father's stroke, Rey's beautiful laughter filling the entire cab on our first date, the sight of Hux's lifeless corpse twisted on the floor of the trunk that very same night…

I blinked my eyes, attempting to force that last haunting image from my mind. I couldn't believe that I'd let myself get so carried away in the moment. I had royally fucked up, and now I would have to destroy the only thing that truly was mine.

"Ben, you okay, son?" Obi-Wan's distant voice called to me from his blue pickup.

"Yeah, just saying goodbye to some old ghosts," I replied, smiling in his direction.

Reluctantly, I walked over to my baby and slid into the driver's seat.

"It's been a fun ride, girl." I sighed and cranked the engine, following Obi-Wan's truck out of my father's driveway toward Ahch-To.

Just as we pulled onto the highway, I caught a glimpse of Rey as she sat beside her grandfather in the truck, her brown hair dancing in the crisp breeze flowing in through the window.

I knew then that everything I'd done up until that point was worth it. She was worth it.

And I would die for her.

 

~.~

 

We reached the auto salvage yard in Ahch-To about noon. Obi-Wan told Rey and me to stay in our respective vehicles while he talked with the owner, who he referred to as "Yoda." He wanted to protect our identities as much as possible in the event the authorities found out about the car.

Supposedly, Obi-Wan had known Yoda ever since he'd trained for the police force several decades ago. He was confident in the fact that Yoda would help destroy my Impala with no questions asked. Apparently, Obi-Wan had cleared some outstanding fines Yoda had accumulated while he lived in Jakku. Needless to say, Yoda owed the Chief a favor.

After only a few passing minutes, Obi-Wan emerged from the tiny, mobile-home office and motioned for me to pull my Chevy around back to the car crusher. Not even fifteen minutes later, Rey held my hand in the cab of her grandfather's truck as I watched the car I'd grown to love almost as a member of the family as it was compressed into smithereens.

The drive home from the salvage yard was mostly spent in silence. I guess we were all separately contemplating the whirlwind of events that had happened over the past few days. I couldn't thank Obi-Wan enough for what he'd done to save my ass from facing possible murder charges. I also couldn't even begin to thank him for being so accepting of me dating his granddaughter and tolerating my careless stupidity. I would be ever grateful to him.

As I peered over at his expressionless face, Rey leaned against my shoulder and slipped her right hand into my left.

"I love you," she whispered sleepily and yawned, running her free hand under the fabric of my shirt.

I sucked in a breath as her fingers ghosted along the groves between my stomach muscles. The effects of her playful touch went straight to my groin, and my head silently screamed for her hand to descend just a bit lower.

"Well, will you look at that? Some SOB's riding my bumper," Obi-Wan unexpectedly said, making us both jump.

I hurriedly pushed Rey's hand away from the top of my jeans and casually adjusted my erection. Obi-Wan didn't even seem to notice our exchange; he was too busy glaring into the rearview mirror at something behind the truck.

"What is it, Obi-Wan?" Rey sat up on the seat and turned to look out the rear windshield. "Shit, it's the black car!"

I quickly sobered, my eyes widening with the realization.

"The black car that was following you?" Obi-Wan questioned, looking out the back glass.

"Yes, I'd know it anywhere," Rey said gloomily, slinking back down on the seat. She pulled her legs up to her chest. "Oh, God, will this ever end?"

Suddenly, the car tailing us whipped into the oncoming lane, speeding up as it aligned parallel with Obi-Wan's truck.

"Ben, there's a notepad in the glove compartment," Obi-Wan told me, relatively calm given the situation, and pulled out his cell phone from the holster on his hip. "If he cuts in front of us, get his license plate number. I'm nabbing this SOB right here and now."

Without saying a word, I fumbled with the lever on the glove box and retrieved the pad and an ink pen. I kept them at the ready, watching the black car wildly swerve back and forth in the opposite lane.

Rey's body frantically rocked forward and backward beside me, and I was torn between comforting her and doing what Obi-Wan had asked of me.

"There he goes, Ben..." Obi-Wan warned me and then spoke into his phone, "Yeah, this is Chief Obi-Wan Kenobi from the Jakku Police Department. I have a reckless driver here on 360 heading east, just outside of Ahch-To..."

As the car cut ahead of us and into our lane, I quickly scribbled down the plate number for Obi-Wan and handed him the notepad. Obi-Wan read off the numbers and provided the car's description to whoever was on the other side of the line, finally snapping his cell phone shut.

"The state police are on their way," Obi-Wan assured us, placing a hand on Rey's shoulder. "They'll catch him, Rey, and he won't be a problem for us anymore."

"But what if they don't, Obi-Wan?" Rey looked up at her grandfather with tears in her eyes. My heart actually hurt at the sound of hopelessness in her voice.

"Then I will." Obi-Wan gritted his teeth and firmly gripped the steering wheel with both hands. "If it's the last thing I ever do."

"Shhh." I tried to further calm Rey by placing my arm along her shoulders and pulling her to my chest. Her arms desperately enfolded around my waist, and she cried into the fabric of my shirt. My hands formed into angry fists, wanting to pummel the driver of the car for being the cause of her tears.

Rubbing my cheek soothingly back and forth along the side of her head, I glanced out the front windshield as we rounded a bend in the highway.

"Well, I'll be damned," Obi-Wan observed, obviously noticing what I had just seen.

The black car had literally disappeared, as if it had evaporated into the thick canopy of woods surrounding us.

 

~.~

 

For the next two days, Obi-Wan and I took shifts watching over Rey, concerned that whoever was driving the black car would take any given chance to abduct her and do God only knows what. Rey spent the daylight hours with me in Chandrila, while Obi-Wan worked tirelessly at the station. He called me every few hours to check on Rey and update me on the progress of trying to find out the driver's identity.

Unfortunately, even though we now had the asshole's license plate number, the tags had expired, and the registered owner had been deceased for several years. However, nothing could defeat Obi-Wan. He tried his damndest to figure out the whole mystery, even painstakingly pouring over Qi'ra and Dryden's accident file in secret. Like Rey, we both feared that whoever was stalking us had to be related to the accident in some way. It was just too much of a coincidence to ignore.

Of course, my father, Han, was oblivious to the whole situation. He didn't even comment on the absence of my Impala in the driveway. Seeming pleased to have a woman around the house again, he merrily relished in Rey's presence. Rey, too, seemed more relaxed around my father, but I knew she was just repressing her fear of the days ahead. I could sense her trepidation each time I looked into her soft, hazel eyes. We also didn't know what would happen when she headed back to Richmond on Sunday. Each time I thought about her leaving Jakku to finish up her college semester, the stressful notion of being away from her would nearly cripple me.

I began to feel at ease when the next two days proved to be uneventful, genuinely looking forward to my father's cookout that Friday evening. Obi-Wan didn't see any danger in continuing with the cookout, since there would be plenty of witnesses around if the stalker decided to make his move. However, Obi-Wan was on-call at the station, and had phoned to inform me that he would arrive later in the evening.

Little did we know of the storm that was about to hit…

The festivities started off without a hitch. Guests started arriving shortly after seven, and several employees and friends from the garage, including my boys Finn and Artoo, joined the party soon after. Gial Akbar's widow, Larma, arrived with her daughter Mara Jade, Mara's husband, and several gangly children, who immediately took off running toward my father when they saw him. He sat each one on his lap in turn and gave them salutatory hugs. As an elder in our small community, my father was well respected by everyone.

Larma and I shared a few awkward glances as she and her guests approached the small bonfire in the center of our gathering. Her obvious secret affair with Rey's grandfather hadn't gone unnoticed, and I wondered briefly if their relationship had only recently developed, or if it had been going on for quite some time now. It was hard to believe that she had moved on so quickly; Gial had only passed away several months ago.

"Hi, Ben." The familiar voice startled me as its owner sat down beside me on the wooden bench.

"Hello, Mara," I returned her greeting, worriedly glancing across the circle at Rey, who was busy helping my father prepare the fish to be fried. She looked up at me fleetingly, smiled, and then returned to breading the freshly-caught bass.

"How's life been treating you?" Mara placed a hand on my knee to get my attention.

"Can't complain," I politely replied, cringing at her touch and almost crushing the can of beer in my right hand.

It was difficult enough sitting next to a woman I'd once seen naked around Rey. Not to mention the fact that I'd had a one night stand with Mara several months before she and her husband were married. Kaydel had just left me for the umpteenth time, and Mara and I had left a local bar together, drunk off our asses. Later that night, I fucked her on the hood of my Impala in the woods. Mara had always had a thing for me, and I'd willingly taken advantage of her in her drunken, vulnerable state. After it was over, I'd instantly regretted ever laying a finger on an engaged woman, flat out telling her that I didn't want to see her again.

I swiftly pushed Mara's wandering hand away and focused my eyes on Rey, watching the way the light from the bonfire made her hair look one in the same. I crooked my lips into a flirty grin and winked at her as she met my eyes once again.

"So you finally ditched Kaydel, huh?" Mara asked, apparently noticing my exchange with Rey, and repositioned her hand on my leg. "I'm glad. She was just as clingy as that Qi'ra bitch was to her filthy-rich sex slave."

"Mara, please, not here," I retorted, peering back at her face. She was trying to get under my skin for not returning her affections those many years ago. I'd seen her as an easy lay and nothing more. "Have some respect for the dead."

"Oh, I have zero respect for Qi'ra, dead or alive. She didn't realize a good thing when she had it." Her hand moved gradually up my thigh to the fly of my jeans.

"Mara," I said through clenched teeth. I picked up her hand and placed it on her left knee, patting it firmly. "You're a married woman now. Run along back to your husband and leave me the fuck alone."

"Grrrr." Mara angrily stormed away from me and toward her husband with a shocked expression on her face.

I stood up, shaking off the rather uncomfortable experience, and looked around for Rey, who had suddenly vanished.

"Dad, where's Rey?" I asked my father, panic beginning to overtake me.

"She went inside to fetch some more breading," my father gruffly answered, not taking his eyes off the deep fryer in front of him.

I immediately took off toward the house, running faster with each step. I silently cursed Mara for distracting me from my duty to keep watch over Rey. I'd promised Obi-Wan yesterday that I would protect her, and I'd be damned if I didn't keep that promise.

"Rey?" I called, stepping inside the rear entrance and into the kitchen. I sighed in relief when I saw her leaning against the counter, a sprinkle of flour in her hair. "Hey, you scared me when you left the par..."

The look on her face nearly stopped my heart, and I found myself incapable of finishing my sentence.

"Who was that woman, Ben?" Rey questioned. Her head then fell to her hands, and she began to sob.

"Oh, shit, Rey. I'm sorry you had to see that." I walked up to her, set my beer down on the counter, and pulled her into my arms. "That's Mara, Larma's daughter. She and I… slept together a long time ago."

"What?" Rey raised her head to look me in the eyes. "You never told me about her."

"I didn't think it was that important. I'm sorry," I assured her, kissing away several of her tears. I wanted to claw my heart out from my chest at the thought of causing her distress.

"Sleeping with someone isn't important?" Rey appeared to be offended by my dismissal of Mara. Sheer hurt filled her eyes.

"That's not what I meant, Rey." I wrapped my arms tighter around her. "I just meant sleeping with her meant nothing to me. I was drunk and stupid at the time."

"Are there any other girls at the party you've slept with, Ben?" she asked me crossly. I guess I deserved that one.

Furiously wiping away her tears, Rey forcefully wiggled out of my embrace and pushed me away from her. She turned and grabbed the box of seafood breading from the table.

"I'd like to know now before I season their fish. It would be a shame if they swallowed a piece with too much pepper and choked to death."

"Rey." I grabbed her hands from behind, chuckling at her last statement.

In that split second, I realized that my body was now pressed against her back and that she was wearing a sundress. All the blood from my body rushed straight to my dick. I brushed the soft hair back from her right shoulder and kissed the delicate flesh it revealed. The box of breading soon tumbled to the linoleum floor with a thud.

"The only other woman I've slept with at this party is you," I whispered against her skin. Her body responded to my voice, sending ripples of goose bumps up her neck and down her torso. "And I must add, Miss Rachel Vos, you put all of them to shame."

I pressed my raging erection against her bottom, and she let out a whimper as my hands descended the sides of her white dress. My breath quickened as I grazed the area underneath her arms, realizing that she wasn't wearing a bra. Fuck, it had been too long since I'd had her last.

"You see what you do to me?" I asked, swaying back and forth with Rey in my arms, and tried my damndest not to bend her over the table right then and there. I knew that I had to take this slow; she was still hurting, and rightfully pissed at me. I didn't know how I would handle the situation if she rejected me.

"Mmhmm," she purred, raising a hand to my cheek and tracing a line along my stubble with her forefinger. I could see her nipples hardening underneath the fabric of her dress at my touch, and consequently driving me fucking insane.

"You know the biggest difference between you and the other girls I've slept with?" I hummed against her neck and sucked at her pulse point. I let my right fingers climb steadily underneath the hem of her dress.

"What?" Rey panted, barely above a whisper, her chest heaving with her uneven breaths. She arched her back slightly as my hand traveled between her legs.

"Those other girls were just easy fucks," I spoke softly into her ear and scaled down the back of her neck with my tongue. "I made love to you, Rey."

"Is t-that r-r-right?" Rey shivered and inched her legs apart, allowing my hand better access.

 _Holy shit_ , I swore to myself when I realized she wasn't wearing any panties.

I heard her breath hitch in her throat as I began massaging her clit with my fingers.

"Oh, God, B-Ben..."

She leaned forward against the table, spreading her legs further apart. I ran my fingers down the rim of her lips and slid one of them inside her moist folds, slowly pumping in and out. Hell, she was soaking wet.

"Ben… oh, fuck." Rey clutched the edge of the table with both hands so hard, I could see the whites of her knuckles. "More p-please."

Obligingly, I inserted another finger inside her, twisting and bending them both to heighten her pleasure, all the while rubbing her clit with my thumb.

"You like it, Rey?" I groaned against her back, running my free hand up to grab her shoulder for better leverage.

"Yessss," she hissed through her teeth, bucking against my hand. "Ben, please. Please."

I immediately removed my fingers, knowing exactly what she wanted. I went back to the kitchen door to make sure it was locked before unbuttoning and unzipping my jeans. I rubbed myself on top my cotton briefs at the sight of Rey's body bent over my kitchen table. I was sure this woman was going to be the death of me, but what a way to go.

Walking back over to her, I slithered one hand down the contours of her back while removing my cock from beneath the strain of my underwear with the other. When my hand reached the hem of her dress, I pulled it up to her hips, unveiling her gorgeously-rounded, bare bottom.

"Rey, you seriously need to start wearing panties or I'm going to get a hard-on just looking at you from now on," I warned her, laughing.

"Oh, I could get used to that," she joked, rising up on her tiptoes and reaching between her legs.

"Shit," I grunted as her cold hand clasped onto my dick and pushed the tip against her entrance. I carefully lifted her left leg, hitching it behind my hip, and glided into her, a plethora of obscenities ejecting from my lips as I went. She was so damn wet and tight from behind; I almost spilled my load as I slid all the way into her. "Oh, fuck, Rey. You feel so fucking amazing."

"Make love to me, Ben," Rey commanded, shuddering beneath me, her voice somewhat strained. I placed my forehead to her shoulder, providing it with a tender kiss.

"Please..." she mewed in response.

God, I loved it when she begged.

Moving unhurriedly at first, I gradually built up speed as I began to pull in and out of her. She groaned loudly and met my rhythm, pressing back into me as I fully sheathed myself inside her over and over again.

The feeling of being connected to her on such an intimate level was overwhelming. Rey was so much different than the other women I'd dated in the past; she was smart, funny, breathtakingly beautiful, and most importantly, giving. She'd given me her love, despite my past faults and failures, looking beyond my screw-ups to find the kindred soul that dwelled just underneath my well-armored skin. She didn't know it at the time, but she was irrevocably taming the wild side of Ben Solo, molding me into the man I knew I could become.

Our bodies continued to move together in perfect harmony against the kitchen table. Knowing that I wouldn't last much longer in that position, I grabbed her neck gently and pulled her body flush with mine.

"I love you, Rey, with all my heart." My lips tenderly kissed her shoulder. My teeth soon replaced them as I leaned us both forward and came hard with one final thrust. "Yes, Rey… fuck."

"Oh, God, Ben, that felt so good, I could barely stand it." Rey giggled, throwing her head back, and my forehead fell to her shoulder. "I've never done it that way before."

"We must do it more often then." I smiled against her skin, relishing in the fact that I'd been the first to make love to her in that position. My ego was sent skyrocketing through the roof.

"Definitely," Rey said, and I pulled out of her and lowered her leg to the floor, turning to the sink to clean up.

After washing up and refastening my jeans, I walked back over to Rey, who was now leaning against the table, her sundress neatly adjusted back into place. My lungs found themselves gasping for air at just a glimpse of her gorgeous form. I combed back a few stray strands from her eyes and took her face into my palms, planting one lingering kiss to her beautiful, pink lips.

"Ben?" I heard Finn's voice call from behind the closed kitchen door, coupled with a few pounding knocks. I nearly had a heart attack. "Sorry to interrupt, but Chief Kenobi's here to see you. You better come outside quick."

"Thanks, Finn!" I yelled at him, not taking my eyes off my girlfriend.

"I wonder what he wants," Rey considered, bringing me back down from the high of post-coital bliss. She looked nervous and instantly began biting her lower lip. "Do you think he found something?"

"Oh, I hope so." My eyebrows lifted, and I leaned in for another kiss. Smiling, I pressed my lips to hers gently and then took her hand in mine. "Come on. Let's see what he wants."

As we exited the house, I was almost blinded by the red and blue flashing lights of Obi-Wan's police cruiser and one other cop car in the gravel driveway. The crowd of our guests had gathered around the side of the house, looking onto the scene with curious speculation. I halted my footsteps immediately and felt Rey's body collide with mine.

"Obi-Wan, what's going on?" I heard Rey's voice ask from behind me.

Her grandfather spun around at the sound of her question, handcuffs held firmly in his palms.

"No!" Rey screamed and clung tightly to my right arm. "Obi-Wan, you can't do this!"

"Ben," Obi-Wan said solemnly, stepping forward, an apologetic look in his eyes. I felt all sensation in my limbs go numb. "I have a warrant here for your arrest."

All my vision started to go blank, and in that moment, my world went spiraling out of control. They had found Hux's body.

I contemplated running for my life, but that would only hurt me in the long run. Deciding to offer my surrender, I turned to face the house, my wrists clamped together behind my back at the waist.

"Obi-Wan, please!" Rey's frantic cries sent knives piercing through my still-beating heart as Obi-Wan cuffed my wrists and patted me down.

"I'm sorry, Ben. I had no other choice," Obi-Wan whispered and then began reading my rights. "Ben Solo, you are under arrest for the murders of Kaydel Connix and Dopheld Mitaka. You have the right to remain silent..."

Obi-Wan's voice faded into the background as my mind focused on only three words that had sprung forth from his lips:

_Kaydel._

_Dopheld_.

_Murder._

Someone had set me up.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sooooo, am I totally getting flamed for this chapter? LOL, I hope you'll bear with me. It's all going to come together in the end, I promise. Thank you as always for reading! Let me know what you thought. ~Dazzy xxoo


	11. Interrogations

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> When we left off...
> 
> Obi-Wan helped to destroy Ben's car. Han had a cookout at his house. An old flame of Ben's flirted with him at the cookout and Rey saw, becoming extremely upset. Ben went to comfort Rey and ended up making love to her in the kitchen. Afterward, Obi-Wan came to arrest Ben for the murders of Kaydel and Dopheld, which he didn't commit. Ben went willingly, knowing he would only hinder his case if he didn't.

_ "The trust I have is in mine innocence, and therefore am I bold and resolute." _

_ ~William Shakespeare, "King Henry VI" _

 

_ ~.~.~.~ _

  


 

**Chapter 11: Interrogations**

 

**Ben's POV**

 

My right knee bounced nervously under the wooden table before me as I sat in the tiny interrogation room at the Jakku Police Department. I leaned forward and pounded my forehead against the surface of the table for the hundredth time, trying to wake myself from my living nightmare. I had been arrested for a double homicide, a heinous crime that I didn't even commit, and I wondered how I was going to get out of this fucking mess.

I pressed my head against the table and thought about Rey, the look of sheer horror on her face as her grandfather arrested me in front of my family and friends. When Obi-Wan had driven off with me as his prisoner, she had chased after us all the way down the drive, until she finally collapsed to the ground with her head in her hands, completely powerless to stop us. I'd wanted to run to her and comfort her, assuring her that everything would be all right and that I would be back in her arms again soon. However, I couldn't guarantee that I would. Some part of me felt sick; I couldn't protect her now, and that asshole had made pretty damn sure of that fact. The permanent nagging feeling in the pit of my stomach told me that I wouldn't be seeing her or my family again for quite some time.

_ My family. _

My thoughts then shifted to my father Han and how disappointed he'd seemed after Obi-Wan had ducked my head into the backseat of the police cruiser. I wasn't particularly worried about his wellbeing; my father had to have been quite humiliated by the spectacle I'd made of his friendly get-together. I was his only son, and even though I was completely innocent of the charges brought against me, I knew I would have to fight hard to regain a reputable standing. I had brought unwarranted shame upon my family, something I had feared since this whole situation with Hux began.

Obi-Wan had hardly spoken a word to me since my arrest. His expression was drawn, his lips pursed together into a tight line, as he chauffeured me across the city limits of Jakku. I could only imagine what he thought of me now. Did he believe I was capable of such a horrific crime? I was quite certain that he did, judging from what I had confessed to him several nights ago. Obi-Wan would probably never trust me alone with his granddaughter again.

Upon reaching the police station, Obi-Wan led me straight into an interrogation room to await the case investigator and my attorney, who Larma had immediately arranged for me.

My uncle on my mother's side, Luke Skywalker, had left Chandrila fresh out of high school and had studied to be a criminal lawyer in DC, where he currently worked as a partner in a prominent law firm. He was a confidant and a friend. Someone who I could trust. I just hoped he would be able to defend my sorry ass against these charges and help uncover the truth behind whoever had set me up.

"Ben, I got here as fast as I could." Luke's voice made me raise my head from the table. He was wearing a neatly-pressed suit with a light blue shirt underneath and coordinating tie. The old man cleaned up pretty nicely. "Shit, you look terrible!"

"Thanks, Luke. You made me feel so much better," I scoffed, sitting up in my seat, and wrung my hands together.

"I'm sorry, Ben." He closed the door behind him and sat down in the wooden chair perpendicular to mine. Placing his leather briefcase on the table, he flipped it open and took out a notepad and a silver ballpoint pen. "The charges against you are pretty serious, kid. Double homicide. One of the vics is your ex-girlfriend, right? I thought I recognized her name."

"Kaydel..." The name rolled languidly off my lips as I stared vacantly at the pen in his right hand.

I had only seen Kaydel a little over three nights ago when she'd come to badger me about my relationship with Rey. She was still as beautiful as the first night I'd slept with her in the backseat of my Impala while we were still in high school. I'd had to fight myself not to take her right there in my father's kitchen, exacting my revenge on Rey for not telling me the truth about her boyfriend, Poe.

A feral growl erupted from deep within my chest at the thought of dragging Kaydel into this whole situation with Hux. Whoever was watching my every move had obviously seen her at my house that night and overheard that we were former lovers. When they couldn't nail me for Hux's murder, they'd punished her and her new boyfriend, Dopheld Mitaka, instead, pinning the murder on me. How could I have done this to her and Dopheld? Could my life have become any more fucked up?

"Ben," Luke said in a low voice, placing a hand on the table in front of me. "Please tell me you didn't do this, and I will help you in any way I can."

"I didn't, Luke," I told him honestly, looking up at his blue eyes. "Someone else did and is trying to pin it on me."

"All right." Luke paused, clicked his pen, and began scribbling notes on his yellow pad. I could sense the wariness in his tone. I wondered if he truly believed me, or if he was just being a good lawyer and listening to his client. "Who would want to frame you for murder, Ben? Any enemies? A disgruntled customer at the garage maybe?"

"I-I..." I stuttered, thinking back to that rainy night outside the ice cream shop, and silently cursed myself for acting so impulsively. "I don't know."

I slumped back in my chair and placed my hands behind my head, gritting my teeth together, not sure if I wanted to tell him the whole truth.

"I'm your lawyer, Ben. You can level with me." Luke stopped writing on his pad and glanced across the table at me.

The throbbing tension in my neck and shoulders grew with every passing second.

Could I tell Luke the truth about that night? Would he believe me? Would it help or hinder my case? Would I still go to jail? More importantly, would I incriminate Rey by telling him that she'd helped me dispose of Hux's body?

"Oh, God, Rey," I spoke aloud, leaning forward and grasping the locks of my hair tightly between my unyielding fingers.

The image of her beautiful face remained forefront in my mind. How could I let her go to jail for something I did? Hadn't I vowed to protect her until the very end, no matter what the cost.

"Rey? Who's Rey, Ben?" Luke's questioning voice brought me back into the present.

"Obi-Wan Kenobi's granddaughter," I blurted out, wiping the tension out from under my eyes. "Qi'ra's daughter… she and I have been seeing each other for about a week."

"Okay… so you think she's the one who's behind this?" he assumed, absently clicking the pen several times.

"Fuck no!" I stood up angrily, towering over my old friend. The force from my abrupt movement sent the chair tumbling backward to the tiled floor. I could see my hands start to blur with my sudden rage. "She had nothing to do with this! Don't you dare drag her into it!"

"Okay, Ben! Sheesh!" Luke loosened his striped tie and motioned with his palms for me to sit back down. "I was only suggesting that she might be the jealous type. That's all."

"Fuck, I'm sorry, Luke," I said more calmly, picking the chair off the floor and retaining my seat. I took a few deep breaths before continuing. "Rey is not the jealous type. Far from it. She's the most caring and understanding woman I've ever met."

Luke opened his mouth to speak, but suddenly the door opened, diverting our attention. Obi-Wan walked into the room with a man about his age and height with a slicked-down layer of orange-gray hair toward the front of his head. He wore a white dress shirt and gray trousers with a polished detective's badge clipped onto his hip. He looked vaguely familiar, but my mind couldn't place him.

"Ben, this is Detective Moden Canady. I'm sure you remember him," Obi-Wan introduced his companion with a sigh, patting him on the shoulder. 

Then, I remembered him; Canady was one of my father's high school classmates, which meant he probably knew much about my family.

"Yeah, sure." I stood up apprehensively to shake Canady's hand.

"Nice seeing you again, Ben," Canady greeted me with a firm grip. "I just wish it were under better circumstances."

I nodded and took my seat as Canady sat down across from me, positioning the manila folders in his left hand on the table in front of us. He then pulled out a tape recorder from his shirt pocket and set it down beside the folders.

"I'm just going to ask you a few questions regarding the murders of Kaydel Connix and Dopheld Mitaka. It's important that you answer all of these questions truthfully and honestly." Canady coughed loudly, and I could tell that he was battling the symptoms of a head cold. He reached over to the tape recorder and pressed the red button. "Okay, Ben, where were you at approximately seven pm on Thursday, March eleventh?"

"Last night?" I asked, folding my arms over my chest. So whoever murdered Ben and Kaydel committed the crime almost twenty-four hours ago.  I drew in a sharp breath and exhaled. "I was at home with my father. We ate popcorn… had a few beers… watched a Nationals game."

"You didn't leave the house at all last night?" Canady questioned in an incredulous voice. If he was trying to intimidate me, he had another thing coming.

"No, I dropped Obi-Wan's granddaughter off at his house on my bike and came back home about six. I didn't leave my father's side once I got home," I said firmly, giving him a pointed look.

"Is this true, Chief Kenobi?" Canady turned his attention to Obi-Wan.

I peered over at Rey's grandfather, who now stood beside the door with his arms crossed over his chest. His expression was thoughtful, his eyes focused on the opposite wall.

"Yes, Ben dropped Rey off just like he said," Obi-Wan finally answered after some hesitation, but it was the God-honest truth. "I've already given you my statement, Canady."

For a brief moment, I wondered if Obi-Wan was worried about the security of his job. Maybe he worried that I would tell Canady everything about what had happened over the past few days, and his job would be in jeopardy for helping me destroy the evidence of Hux's murder.

"Indeed you have. Thank you, Chief Kenobi. Just wanted clarification," Canady replied, turning to face me once again. "We will obtain a statement from your father later regarding your alibi and from Rachel Vos, of course."

I closed my eyes and sighed when Canady mentioned Rey's sweet name. I knew she would back up what I'd said; I just hated having to put her through any of this shit to save my ass. I frowned at the thought.

Canady then sifted through the small stack of folders in front of him and pulled out a black and white photograph, pivoting it toward me.

"Do you recognize this, Ben?" I stared down in amazement at the picture before me, my eyes wide with disbelief.

A Sako A7 ST hunting rifle came into view, making me loudly gulp. It was the very rifle my father had given me two years ago for my thirty-sixth birthday. So that's how the asshole had managed to frame me! He had broken into my house and stolen my gun right under my fucking nose! I instantaneously began to burn with rage.

"Don't answer that, Ben," Luke interjected, not taking his eyes off the detective seated beside him.

"Well, just to inform you and your attorney," Canady slyly began, smacking his lips together. He then pressed his index finger to the center of the picture and tapped it a few times. "We ran the serial number on this rifle, and it's licensed to you, Ben. Care to explain how your rifle ended up at the crime scene?"

"Look, I already told you where I was," I crossly spat out, leaning across the table and holding up my hands, utterly exasperated. "I don't know how in the world my rifle ended up there. It must've been stolen."

"Detective Canady, if my client did in fact commit said murders, why would he leave the murder weapon behind?" Luke rationally pointed out, shaking his head. "If he didn't want to be caught, why would he be so careless?"

"I'm just going on the evidence I have, Mr. Skywalker, and the evidence right now points directly to your client," Canady countered with a fiery intensity to his tone. "I'm well aware of the nature of your relationship to Miss Connix, Ben. Looks like your jealousy over her new lover got the best of you, eh?"

"Completely outta line!" Luke stood up from his chair, gritting his teeth together. "Regardless of his relationship to one of the victims, my client did not commit these murders! He has a perfect alibi!"

I sat back down and furiously knotted my hands together, my anger beginning to conquer over me. Of course I'd been a little jealous when Kaydel moved in with Dopheld, but we'd broken things off a month or so beforehand. I'd been seeing her since I was in high school; my feelings for her didn't just disappear overnight. Still, my conflicted feelings for her wouldn't have fueled my motivation to murder them in cold blood.

"Why don't we let Ben speak for himself, Mr. Skywalker?" Canady coolly suggested, watching me with careful eyes, just waiting for me to break under the pressure. However, he wasn't about to get a confession out of me. I wasn't about to confess to a crime I didn't commit. I took a deep breath and cleared my throat, gulping down any lingering anger at his last accusation.

"Kaydel and I broke up two months or so ago. Neither one of us was committed to the relationship in the first place," I began, trying to keep my annoyance at bay. "I was happy when she found Dopheld. I thought maybe she'd finally moved on and was able to let me go."

"So she was the clingy type?" Canady asked smugly. I could tell he had already determined that I was the one who had executed these crimes. He kept twisting my words around just to taunt me. "A little too clingy, I suppose."

"I'm about tired of your badass-cop routine!" I vehemently bellowed, rising up from my seat. My hands gripped the edge of the table until the veins began to bulge from beneath my skin. "I did not kill Kaydel or Dopheld!"

"Ben, calm down." Obi-Wan flew to my side and placed a guarded hand on my shoulder. "You're not helping yourself here."

"It seems your client has one hell of a temper, Mr. Skywalker." The asshole of a detective had the fucking nerve to mock me in my presence.

And with that statement, I'd had it with Canady's self-righteous attitude.

In that split second, I lunged across the table at him, grabbing him by the head, and slammed his forehead into the hard surface of the table. His torso immediately slumped against the table; Detective Canady was rendered completely unconscious.

"Ben, why did you do that, son?" Obi-Wan forcefully grasped onto my wrists, and I quickly snapped back into reality, surrendering and allowing him to restrain me once more. He fastened the handcuffs around my wrists from behind, and then led me out of the small room. "I have no choice now but to detain you for assaulting an officer."

"Sorry, Obi-Wan. Shit," I said, peering over at Luke, who was now following us down the hallway to the jail with a look of disbelief. Holding my head down, I instantly regretted acting on impulse, but that jackass had it coming.

"Ben, I'll do what I can to get you outta here, but you must keep your temper under control," Luke whispered irately as Obi-Wan unlocked and led me into a single cell. "You need to cooperate, or you're just going to hinder your case further."

"I know, Luke," I replied, sighing. "Thank you for coming."

Luke nodded once in response as Obi-Wan pulled back the cell door and locked it into place. I turned around and slipped my hands through the small opening in the steel bars so Obi-Wan could unfasten the handcuffs.

"Luke, may I have a word with you in my office?" Obi-Wan turned to Luke after retrieving his handcuffs, shooting me a deliberate glance. Without speaking a word, I knew exactly what he wanted to discuss with my old friend.

"Obi-Wan, where's Rey right now?" I asked desperately as he began to walk away from my cell, needing to know that she was safe.

Obi-Wan sighed, turning toward me, and fastened the handcuffs back on his hip.

"She's waiting up front in the lobby to give her statement," Obi-Wan replied, deflecting his gaze from mine. I could sense the disappointment in his voice, but I was relieved to hear that Rey was out of harm's way. "Keep yourself out of trouble, Ben."

After Obi-Wan and Luke left, I leaned my forehead against the bars, cursing myself for letting my temper get the best of me. I was even more pissed at that asshole Canady for insinuating that I would want to murder the woman I'd once loved and her live-in boyfriend out of nothing but sheer jealousy. I had no qualms against their relationship. Besides, I'd found Rey, and she'd turned my world completely upside down. I had wanted to be a better man for her, but now look at me. I had reverted back to the man I once was before she came into my life.

I pressed my back against the cell bars and slid down to the concrete floor, pulling my knees into my chest.

The image of Rey's soft hazel eyes flickered once more in my brain. She was only a heartbeat away from me at that moment, and that notion gave me some peace amidst the storm still raging inside my head.

The vindictive stalker turned murderer was still out there, and I was now helpless to stop him.

 

~.~

 

**Rey's POV**

 

The steaming cup of coffee burned against the skin of my right hand, but I pretended not to notice. I had been sitting in the lobby of the Jakku Police Department for over two hours, waiting for Obi-Wan and his detective to take my statement regarding Ben's whereabouts last night.

Tears started to rim my eyes at the thought of him being arrested for the murders of his ex-girlfriend and her new boyfriend. Just the very notion of Ben behind bars made my heart throb in excruciating agony.

I set the paper cup down on the small table beside my chair and buried my head in my hands.

The reason Kaydel and her boyfriend were dead was because of me. Hux had only wanted me in the first place. If Ben hadn't saved me that night and Hux had lived, none of this would have ever happened. Ben wouldn't have been accused of a crime he didn't commit, and two innocent people would still be alive. Some part of me wished that Hux had just had his way with me and left me to die by the side of the road. That's what I deserved; I had completely ruined my life and the lives of those around me.

"Rey?" Obi-Wan beckoned to me as I wallowed in self-pity. "We're ready for you now, sweetheart."

I dropped my hands and stood up, feeling my legs go weak beneath me. 

As I followed Obi-Wan into the small office, I could feel the surmounting nervousness well up inside my being. I knew that Ben was completely innocent of killing Kaydel and her boyfriend, but I didn't know if they'd already questioned him or not. Even more nerve-wracking was that I didn't know if he'd confessed to Hux's murder; maybe Ben had already told them about what had happened outside the ice cream shop in order to fully explain this sudden turn of events. With Ben's confession, Obi-Wan would have been in danger of losing his job and serving jail time as well for helping us destroy evidence of Hux's murder.

The nervous knot violently rolled over in my stomach, and I felt like I was going to throw up.

"Good evening, Rey," Detective Moden Canady greeted me with a kind smile as I sat down in the chair opposite him. "We just need a few minutes of your time."

I half-smiled in response, noticing the small bag of ice, which was now pressed firmly to his forehead. He dropped his hand unexpectedly to shuffle through several papers on his desk, allowing me a better view of his forehead. A circular, purplish bruise adorned the area just above his left eye, and I wondered if he'd accidentally hit his head on something earlier that evening.

"Now, Rey, can you tell me where Ben Solo was last night around seven pm?" Detective Canady questioningly spoke, bringing the bag of ice promptly back to his injured forehead.

I anxiously played with the frills along the hem of my sundress, noticing the crimson, jagged scrapes on both of my knees. After Obi-Wan had arrested Ben earlier that night, I'd chased after the police cruiser, begging Obi-Wan to take me with them. Realizing I could do nothing to stop them, I'd fallen to the gravel driveway below and skinned my knees in the process.

I felt a tear roll languidly down my cheek at the memory, but I swiftly wiped it away.

"Rey?" Obi-Wan's voice broke the silence hovering over the room, making me look up at the detective in front of me.

"He took me home - to Obi-Wan's house - around six o'clock. We rode on his bike. He told me he was going back to his father's house in Chandrila after that," I truthfully told the detective I'd known most of my life, frowning down at my hands, which were now wound together in my lap.

"And then Mr. Solo came to pick you back up in the morning. Am I correct?" He continued his interrogation, jotting down notes on a pad of yellow paper.

"Yes," I simply answered.

"And you stayed with him in Chandrila all day today?" Detective Canady watched me with calculating eyes as he fingered the pen in his right palm.

"Yes. His father Han was there, too. He can vouch for Ben." The single syllable of his name stung as it rolled off my tongue. I then began to wonder where they were holding him. Maybe he was in the room next to Detective Canady's office, just beyond the surrounding four walls. Somehow, I could almost feel the soothing warmth of his skin against mine.

"And what's the nature of your relationship with Mr. Solo exactly?" the detective asked pompously and snorted as if he already knew my answer.

"We're friends," I said cautiously, narrowing my eyes at him.

"Just friends?" He skeptically eyed my grandfather, who was now standing behind me.

"Canady, that has nothing to do with her statement," Obi-Wan exasperatedly interposed and placed a hand on my right shoulder.

"I need to establish her relationship to Mr. Solo before I can file her statement," Detective Canady argued, deflecting his attention back to me. "Are the two of you… lovers?"

I clenched my teeth together, feeling the heat in my cheeks as images of Ben's naked body pressed against mine began to soar through my brain. Obi-Wan tightened his hold on my shoulder to give me strength. I couldn't very well lie to the police; I needed to cooperate if I wanted Ben to be cleared of all charges against him.

"Yes," I admitted, my voice barely above a whisper. I held my head down, not wanting to meet Obi-Wan's eyes. I could only imagine what opinion he had of me now.

"Did you know of Mr. Solo's former relationship with Kaydel Connix?" the detective inquired, making my head shoot straight up. He held up a glossy photo of a woman, possibly in her late thirties, with long, silky blonde hair and gentle eyes. Ben had never shown me a picture of Kaydel before, but I could now see what he once saw in her. She was exceptionally beautiful.

"I do," I said, glancing back down at my hands. "They had an intimate relationship for almost twenty years."

"Don't you find that a little odd, Rey?" he retorted in derisive manner.

"Canady, my granddaughter is not on trial here!" Obi-Wan heatedly interjected. "She's given you her statement. She's had a lot to deal with tonight, and I would like to get her home as soon as possible."

"Sure, Obi-Wan." Detective Canady forced a smile in my direction, lowering the bag of ice from his forehead. "Thank you for your time, Rey. I'll have this ready for you to sign in a bit."

I silently thanked Obi-Wan for coming to my defense, sighing in relief that Ben hadn't told the whole truth to the police. 

As Obi-Wan escorted me out of the office, I sorrowfully peered down the hallway toward the holding cells. My heart longed to see Ben again, even if it were just a fleeting glimpse. I needed to tell him that I was sorry for all the hell I'd put him through the past few days; that I was sorry for doubting his love for me. He had been through so much since we'd met, and I wondered if he now regretted that chance meeting at the diner last Saturday night.

"Sorry, Rey. Canady can be a real pain in the ass," I heard Obi-Wan apologize, but I didn't respond. Instead, my eyes began to saturate with apologetic tears. I felt his warm hand press against my shoulder once again. "Rey, I'm going to have Deputy Nunb see you home tonight. He's going to stay at the house for the rest of the night until I can get here. Your aunt Amilyn has agreed to come down and stay with you tomorrow."

Obi-Wan then tugged hard on my shoulder, pulling me down the hall to his office. I quickly sobered, my heart racing within my chest at my grandfather's sudden action. Once inside, he shut the door and locked it, making sure the blinds were blocking the view from the outside.

"Obi-Wan, what's going on?" I began to panic as my grandfather then walked behind his wooden desk.

"Rey," he said in a low voice, leaning forward, and gripped the back of his leather desk chair. He let out a strong puff of air and continued, "I told Ben's lawyer everything. I told him about Hux, about the black car, about us destroying Ben's car..."

"Oh, God." I steadied myself on the chair beside me, the stress of the whole situation resting heavily on my shoulders.

"He's agreed to help me hire a private investigator to hunt down this anonymous stalker and try to uncover the truth behind your parents' accident," Obi-Wan confessed in one breath. "In the meantime, I'm going to do everything I can to help exonerate Ben. I know he didn't murder Kaydel and Dopheld, Rey. That SOB in the black car followed us to Ahch-To and saw us destroy Ben's car. He then murdered Kaydel and her boyfriend and planted Ben's rifle at the scene to frame him. That's the only reasonable explanation for all of this. He wanted Ben out of the picture so he could get to you."

I stood there and let Obi-Wan's words sink in. I finally had to force myself to take a seat in the chair just in case my shaky legs decided to buckle from underneath me.

"I'm risking my job doing this, Rey, but I'd give anything to find out what really happened that night your parents died," Obi-Wan added.

"Me, too," I said after several lingering minutes, peering up at my grandfather's forlorn expression. "What can I do to help?"

"Rey, I need you to stay out of this," Obi-Wan answered solemnly, sincerity in his eyes.

"But, Obi-Wan, Ben needs me-" I protested, but Obi-Wan held up his right palm to silence me.

"I know you want to help Ben right now, but I need you to stay out of it, Rey," he opposed, walking toward my chair and kneeling before me. "Let Ben's lawyer and me handle this from now on. I don't want to risk your safety any more than I have to."

"So I'm just supposed to go back to Richmond and act like none of this ever happened while you two figure it all out without me," I said irately, fighting back the tears that were now threatening to overrun my hazel eyes once again. "I don't understand. Didn't you and Ben decide that the stalker was out to get me?"

"Yes, but Rey, you have to trust me." Obi-Wan took both of my hands and encased them with his own. He peered up at me with pleading eyes. "Please trust me. I'm asking you to do this not only for Ben and me, but for Kaydel and Dopheld's families as well. They are the ones who have suffered the most from this."

Kaydel's beautiful face flashed hauntingly in my mind, and I knew then that my grandfather was right. I knew that Kaydel and Dopheld's true killer needed to be brought to justice, and that it would only hinder the investigation if I were involved. Still, I couldn't shake the feeling that there was some unspoken secret Obi-Wan wasn't sharing with me.

"Okay, Obi-Wan," I agreed to his stipulations, giving him a weak smile.

"That's my girl." He let go of my hands and patted my knees softly in reassurance.

Obi-Wan then helped me to a standing position and led me back into the hallway. As we reached the lobby, my grandfather left me briefly to find his deputy so he could escort me home.

"Rey?" The familiar voice made me spin around from the front desk.

"Poe?" I asked in disbelief as my estranged boyfriend exited one of the lobby's chairs and threw his arms around me. I was completely stunned, but the congenial warmth of his arms felt wonderful. I instantly melted into his embrace. "What are you doing here?"

"I heard your friend Ben got arrested on the news and got here as quickly as I could." Poe pulled back, cupping my face in his palms. "I came in case you needed me… and to tell you that I'm sorry."

"Poe, I-I don't-" I immediately burst into tears, utterly overwhelmed by everything I had experienced over the past week; how drastically my life had changed in only a few short days.

"Shhh, Rey. It's gonna be okay," Poe whispered, hugging me close to his chest. He brushed back the hair from my right shoulder and soothingly kissed the area just above my ear. "I'm here now."

As Poe held me there, I realized that my entire world had crumbled and the rubble was now scattered at my feet.

And the only person who could help me fasten the pieces together again was not the man now holding me in his arms. It was the man who had risked everything to love me; the same man who sat all alone in a jail cell just down the hall.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks so much for reading! Ben let his temper get the best of him, huh? What do you think of Poe coming back? Please take a few minutes and let me know what you thought! ~Dazzy xxoo


	12. Mea Culpa

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> When we left off...
> 
> Ben was interrogated by Detective Canady. Ben's hunting rifle had been found at the scene of the crime, which was why they arrested him. Ben was so angry at Canady that he slammed the detective's head on the table in front of him, landing himself in further trouble. Rey was questioned regarding the murders and her relationship with Ben. Obi-Wan secretly told Rey that Ben's lawyer, Luke Skywalker, knew everything about Hux and what Ben had done to him, including Obi-Wan destroying Ben's car. Obi-Wan said he was hiring a private investigator to look into Hux and the death of her parents. Poe showed up to comfort Rey.

_"A guilty conscience is the mother of invention."_

 

_~Carolyn Wells_

 

~.~.~.~

  


 

**Chapter 12: Mea Culpa**

 

**Ben's POV**

 

"One, two, three, four..." I counted the number of times I pushed off the hard, concrete floor of the tiny cell, feeling the burn as it steadily grew in the muscles of my upper arms.

Mindless exercise had recently become my best friend. It was all I could do to pass the time anymore since I'd been locked up for a crime I didn't commit. It had been two days since Obi-Wan had arrested me for the murders of Kaydel and Dopheld, and there had been little progress in clearing my name of the charges. Detective Moden Canady was bound and determined as ever to prove I'd been the one to shoot my former girlfriend and her new lover. When I'd lost my temper in the interrogation room the night I was arrested, that incident had pretty much sealed the deal in the old detective's mind. Not to mention the fact that my hunting rifle had been found at the crime scene. I'd tried my damndest to make him see that I was, in fact, innocent of the murders, but no one would listen to a man behind steel bars. It seemed I was guilty until proven innocent in everyone else's eyes.

"Thirty-eight, thirty-nine, forty." I finished my set of pushups and returned to a standing position, shaking out my arms and stretching them behind my back. Taking a few steps toward the toilet in the corner of my cell, I unzipped my jeans and relieved myself. The initial embarrassment of using the bathroom in public had all but dissipated since I'd been confined to my new home.

I sighed and leaned forward, resting my head on my forearm against the cold, stone wall. It had to have been close to midnight by now, and I began to wonder if Obi-Wan was going to pay me a visit before the end of his shift. He'd taken it upon himself to visit me once daily to update me on the progress of my case. The fact that he had yet to make an appearance tonight began to take its toll on my conscience, and I ultimately feared the worst. Whoever was out there attempting to seek revenge for Hux's murder could have exacted his vengeance on Rey's grandfather. I gritted my teeth and balled my hand into a fist at the thought. I hated myself for ever involving him in the first place.

Having finished my business, I pushed myself off the wall and refastened my jeans. I turned and crawled onto the tiny bed, rolling over onto my back. I stared up at the ceiling and thought about Rey; her beautiful hazel eyes dancing with her laughter, her silky brown hair tossed by the morning breeze. It was amazing how much power she held over me. We'd only known each other for a week, but I'd fallen madly and hopelessly in love with her.

I closed my eyes, trying to shut out all the danger and tragedy I'd experienced over the past few days, and focused on her delicate face. I instantly felt every tense muscle in my body relax as her image vividly came into view within the recesses of my mind. Since we'd met, I'd made it my duty to memorize every curve, every contour of her gorgeous form. It was as if she was there with me; I could almost reach out and touch her.

"Ben..." a still, small voice whispered as I imagined the sound of Rey calling out my name.

Startled, I opened my eyes, only to see her, standing in the front corner of my cell. She was breathtaking in the miniscule light filtering into the room from the small skylight above. I forced myself to blink, making sure she wasn't just a figment of my imagination.

"Rey," I beckoned to her, propping myself up on my elbows to gain a better view.

"Shhh, I'm here," she said in a seductive tone, slowly sauntering toward my position on the bed.

As she neared the bed, I noticed she was wearing the yellow, sleeveless shirt and blue skirt she'd worn the night we'd first made love. Her thin, yet toned, legs stretched out for miles beneath her skirt, making me yearn to run my hands along their length. My manhood responded by hardening beneath the denim constraint of my pants.

"Baby, I've missed you," I breathlessly spoke as she took a seat beside me on the bed.

"Shhh." Rey placed a hand on my chest and leaned forward, ghosting her lips along my jawline and down my neck. My dick went rock hard at her touch.

She shifted her body, placing a bent knee on either side of my waist, and inched up her skirt with her fingertips. I could feel the heat radiating from between her legs as it came to rest against my aching groin.

I didn't know how many times I'd pictured her in that same position over the past two days. Not to mention the countless times I'd rolled over in my bed and whacked off, imagining her luscious mouth wrapped around me.

"Fuck," I murmured when she began to grind herself against me, mindlessly grabbing onto her hips to increase the friction on my cock. "Rey, you don't know how much I've wanted you."

"I've wanted you, too, Ben." She threw her head back, arching her back slightly. The motion accentuated her breasts even further beneath the sheer fabric of her tank top. "So much."

I reached up and cupped my right hand around one of her breasts, longing to lap my tongue around her nipple. Moving both hands up to her shoulders, I hooked my forefingers under the straps of her yellow shirt and slowly peeled it down her torso to her waist. I was rewarded with a view of her perfectly-rounded, bare breasts. I marveled at their magnificence as they bounced above my lips with the movement of her thrusts against me.

Pulling myself into a seated position, I pressed her hips further into mine, and she fastened her legs around my waist. My mouth went straight to her erect nipples, suckling and nibbling on them as if they were the sustenance to my very existence. Fuck, she tasted so goddamn good, like sweet honeysuckle.

"Fuck me, Ben," Rey whispered in between ragged breaths, riding me harder, if that were even possible. "Make me yours… forever."

I almost came at the sound of her lust-filled words. She'd always told me to make love to her before, never to fuck her. I gulped and tried to quell the urge to finish before I could bury myself deep inside her. I couldn't allow myself the pleasure of release before I could offer her the same.

"How do you want me to fuck you, Rey?" I heard my thoughts audibly escape my mind. I couldn't believe what I was saying.

"I don't care, just fuck me!" she screamed, plastering her lips against mine and darting her tongue forcefully into my mouth. She pulled away before I'd had my fill of her lips and reached down to unbutton my jeans. "Oh, God, Ben, please fuck me!"

Though her words thrilled me, something sounded a bit off as they crossed her lips. Her voice didn't even sound like hers; it resembled that of someone I once knew.

"Rey," I said, grabbing onto her wrists to stop her frantic movements. I peered deeply into her ravenous, hazel eyes. "Rey, is that you?"

"Of course it's me, Ben," she answered in wavering voice, hurt permeating her tone. She angled her head downward, but it appeared to be slightly out of focus. "Don't you want me?"

"I do want you, Rey," I tried to convince her, raising a hand to cup her cheek. "Please don't cry, baby."

Tears started to stream down her cheeks, but instead of clear liquid, a thick, crimson fluid began to roll off her chin and onto her naked chest. I glanced up at her face in horror, as it flickeringly shifted into the spitting image of Kaydel.

"How could you do this to me, Ben?" Kaydel's unmistakable voice shrieked at me, pools of blood now seeping from every orifice of her face. "How could you let someone murder me? I thought you loved me!"

"Kaydel?" I instantly recoiled from underneath her, springing off the bed and plastering my body against one of the cell's walls.

"How could you!" Kaydel's blood-soaked body cried out, her arms outstretched to me. Her eyes and mouth stood agape as she began to crawl languidly across the bed toward me. "After all we shared!"

"It wasn't my fault." I shut my eyelids tightly, forcing the image straight out of a horror movie to dispel itself from my mind.

"I loved you, Ben… more than Dopheld… more than any other man..."

The sound of her wet footsteps soon entered my brain, inching closer to me with every heartbeat, and I felt myself struggling to breathe. I thought for a split-second that I might pass out in sheer terror.

"You were always the best," she hissed against my mouth, the sensation of her body standing only millimeters away from mine. "The best fucking lay I'd ever had."

I felt her bloody hand coil around my neck, cinching tighter with every passing second. I gasped for air, willingly it into my lungs, but the fight was useless; she had already won.

"Wake up, Ben," the sound of a distant voice echoed in my ear. "I've got some good news."

My eyes immediately flew open, and I realized that I was still lying in my bed. I jerked upward and planted my feet on the concrete floor, my eyes darting in all directions to determine if it had all been just a bad dream.

Sighing in relief, I ran my hands through my black hair and wiped the sleep out from under my tired eyes. I wondered when, if ever, I would have a peaceful night's sleep again without my guilty conscience sneaking its way in.

"Ben, did you hear me?" the distant voice resumed. "Are you okay, son?"

I lifted my head, only to see Obi-Wan Kenobi standing on the opposite side of the cell, his expression somewhat hopeful.

"Yeah, sorry, Obi-Wan. Just a bad dream." I shook my head and stood up to meet him.

"Well, you're free to go," Obi-Wan said, unlocking the cell and rolling back the door before me.

"What?" I asked, completely shocked. I half-expected him to slam the door right back in my face.

"Your alibi checked out," he revealed, a slight smirk across his lips. "Several witnesses came forward, stating they saw you heading back on 360 toward Chandrila prior to the time the coroner pinpointed the murders."

"Witnesses? And that was enough to clear me of all charges?" I retorted, unconvinced.

"Well," Obi-Wan cleared his throat before continuing, "they also ran the fingerprints on your rifle. Yours were there, of course, but another set of prints were there as well. We found the same prints on the rifle case under your bed. We're currently checking them in the criminal databases."

"So they know it was stolen, then?" I questioned, rubbing the back of my neck to ease the tension.

"Yes, Ben, they know now," he said, lowering his voice. "I'm just relieved we've finally got that son of a bitch's fingerprints. Maybe this is the key to finding out who's behind all of this."

I sighed, closing my eyes, and gripped the bars beside me for support. Obi-Wan was definitely right; maybe we would finally learn the stalker's identity, and he could be brought to justice for murdering Kaydel and Dopheld.

"The tire tracks found at the crime scene also didn't match your bike; it was definitely a car," Obi-Wan added after a few moments of silence.

"Black car?" I knowingly proposed, keeping my voice low, and pushed off the bars. "A 1970 Chevelle, perhaps?"

"We haven't been able to trace them back to any specific vehicle yet, but yes, I'd be willing to bet my life on it. Anyway, Luke lobbied for your release, and I granted it," Obi-Wan said. "It's all taken care of. You may leave when you wish."

"Thank you, Obi-Wan." I showed my gratitude to Rey's grandfather, extending an appreciative hand to him. He shook it vigorously and pulled me in for a hug.

A flash of a distant memory shot through my mind as Obi-Wan held me there; a vision of that night four years ago when Qi’ra and Dryden had been killed in that horrible accident. I remembered that it had been raining that evening when I'd ridden into Jakku to offer my condolences to Obi-Wan. 

After I'd knocked several times on his front door, Obi-Wan had answered, immediately collapsing against me in anguish. I couldn't recall how long I'd stood there in the doorway, holding Obi-Wan as he cried out his heartache. However, there was one image I'd never forget about that night… the soft silhouette of a young teenage girl, standing near the top of the stairs…

"It was the least I could do." Obi-Wan let me go, looking me in the eyes. For a brief moment, I wondered if he'd remembered that night as well.

"How's my father doing?" I asked, changing the subject, and returned to the bed to put on my boots.

"He's doing well," Obi-Wan replied, putting his hands on his hips. "Your mother took him to live with her in Maryland until you were released."

"Is he...?" My question trailed off, and I returned to lacing up my boots, happy to know that my father was now in my mother's care no matter how estranged she’d been since she left us.

"Han's not upset with you, Ben, if that's what you're asking," he answered. "He knows you're innocent. You're his son, Ben, and he loves you very much."

"And Rey?" I fought back tears of joy as they threatened to betray my tough exterior. I placed both feet on the ground and stood back up, ignoring the emotions that were now coursing through me.

"She's back in Richmond," Obi-Wan confessed, looking down at the floor. "Her aunt Amilyn's been watching over her. She's ex-military, tough as nails; a former admiral in the Navy. She'll make sure no one gets within a hundred yards of Rey."

"That's a relief," I said. It eased my worried mind to know that someone was looking after Rey in my absence.

"Ben." Obi-Wan then looked up at me, placing a firm hand on my shoulder. "Please… if you care for my granddaughter and value your freedom, keep your distance from her right now and let Luke and me handle this. That's all I'm asking."

I nodded half-heartedly as Obi-Wan handed me the plastic bag containing my personal effects. He then left my cell and began slowly making his way back to his office. With a sigh, I glanced back at the cell behind me.

I needed to see her. I needed just one fleeting glimpse to make sure she was safe. It was one promise to Obi-Wan I knew I had to break.

 

~.~

 

**Rey's POV**

 

The next few days without Ben were intolerable, to say the least. My aunt Amilyn Holdo had come to stay with me in Jakku throughout the rest of the weekend and had agreed to accompany me on my trip back to Richmond. Even though I knew Obi-Wan and Ben's lawyer, Luke Skywalker, had hired a private investigator to handle the case, I remained on edge. My stalker was still out there, and nothing could bring my anxious mind to rest.

"Rey, what's wrong, honey?" Aunt Amilyn placed a soothing hand on mine from the front seat of her Mercedes as we pulled into the University of Richmond's main entrance that Sunday afternoon.

I missed Ben. I also feared for my life, but I couldn't have very well told her that.

"Nothing," I said, settling for a safer option. She shot me a knowing look from the front seat.

"You have nothing to worry about, Rey. I've secured the dorm room next to yours for the remainder of the semester," she began, glancing at me in the rear view mirror. "I'll be there to protect you if someone tries anything."

Sighing, I pressed my body back against the leather seat  and stared out the window at the academic buildings as they rolled by.

In the Navy, my aunt had served in the Gulf War fresh out of high school back in the early nineties, climbing to the rank of admiral in only a few short years. Obi-Wan had only seen it fitting to have her watch over me when I went back to school, trying to make my life as normal as possible after all that had transpired over the past week. My grandfather had fabricated the pretense that someone had been stalking me on campus and had even followed me to Jakku over spring break. Even though the campus police had been involved from the start, Obi-Wan told my uncle he would feel more at ease having someone we trusted nearby to protect me. It wasn't entirely dishonest. 

"We're here, Rey." Aunt Amilyn called, causing my head to shoot up from the headrest.

I sighed and absently exited my aunt's car, glancing up at my dormitory as it came into view. Jeter Hall looked as it normally did - tall, red, and looming, almost as if it had been taken right out of Shakespeare’s London. I silently wished I could be anywhere but there.

"Rey!" I heard Poe's voice call as Aunt Amilyn helped me retrieve my suitcase from the trunk and joined me on the sidewalk. Poe ran from his perch on the front steps and swept me into a hug, kissing my forehead. "How was the ride up?"

"Tiring," I whispered, pushing away from him slightly.

Ever since Poe had come back into my life, I'd acted as if nothing was wrong - that I was indifferent to seeing Ben behind bars. It was a wall I'd built up around me to keep others out; to mask my true feelings on the subject. Truth be told, I was heartbroken, and only being in Ben's warm arms would help me put the pieces of my heart back together again. Poe was only a temporary fix.

"Let's get you upstairs and settled, shall we?" Aunt Amilyn's slender hands lovingly gripped onto my shoulders from behind. I could see out of my peripheral vision that she was giving my ex-boyfriend a glaring eye.

"Listen, Rey, I've got some things to do this afternoon, but I'd love to take you out to lunch tomorrow," Poe said, watching carefully as Amilyn stared him up and down in obvious intimidation.

"She'd like that," Aunt Amilyn answered for me, tightening her hands on my shoulder. She leaned her head against mine so that her lavender hair tickled my cheek.

"Okay, I'll wait for you after your Lit class." Poe's brown eyes hesitated on my face for a moment, but he soon turned and raced toward his dorm on the opposite side of campus.

"Something seems a little off about that guy, Rey," Aunt Amilyn pondered, hugging me close as she led me toward the dorm's entrance. "It seems pretty suspicious that he showed up right when we got here."

"He's just protective of me," I assured them, not fully believing my own words. I knew that Ben had nothing to do with Kaydel and Ben's murders, but Poe kept trying to convince me that Ben was bad news. 

Could Poe have been involved in the murders somehow? I began to wonder if he'd even left Jakku after that night he'd found out about my relationship with Ben. His sudden appearance at the police department Friday night had seemed rather odd.

"Did you see the way he looked at you? More like possessive, to me," my aunt said in a determined voice and rushed ahead to hold the door open for me. She looked back in the direction in which Poe had disappeared. "I'll be keeping my eye on him for sure - two eyes, to be exact."

 

~.~

 

"Oh, my God! Rey!" My roommate from last year, Rose, ran up to greet me as I headed for my Lit class that next day.

Ugh, could my first day back at college have been any worse? Not only did I have heaps of coursework to complete from my morning classes, but I also had to face the annoying repartee of Rose "Want-to-put-a-plastic-bag-over-her-head-and-suffocate-her-to-death" Tico. Not to mention the fact that my aunt was watching my every move, making me self-conscious and even more fidgety. If it wasn't bad enough having to share a room with Rose for an entire academic year, she still considered me a close friend even though I utterly despised her.

"Oh, my God, I was so worried about you," Rose began without letting me get a word in edgewise as we crossed the quad to the Humanities Building. "I heard about those murders in your hometown and was about to die waiting to see if you were okay. Oh, my God, I said 'die!' Isn't that like a jinx or something?"

"Don't worry, Rose. As you can see, I'm just fine," I said sarcastically, rolling my eyes. I picked up my pace in an attempt to get away from her.

It started to drizzle as we reached the main entrance of the building, which made my pace quicken even further.

"Hey, dude, I totally understand if you're worried about what happened." She resumed her rambling, tossing her short, black hair over her shoulder. "I can totally sympathize. You should be glad you didn't stay on campus over break, though. You remember that dude from the lacrosse team, Kylo Ren?"

I shrugged in response, pushing my way through the front door of the building. Leave it to Rose to randomly steer the topic of conversation back to her.

"Well, I kinda made out with him at the Delta Sigma Theta party Saturday night, but anyway, he's like totally all hands, and I'm not sure I'm ready for that, you know? I mean, ew. I want to give it to someone I truly love, not just some random loser guy."

"Right, Rose." I nodded in response to her mindless banter and made my way to the main stairwell, but she continued to follow me.

"See, I knew you'd understand." Rose's voice became amplified by the acoustics inside the foyer along with the detestable smacking sound of her gum. "Like, you totally have Poe… and he's superhot, and I'm sure you've done it with him. God, I can't even imagine how good he is in bed..."

Just then, I stopped dead in my tracks as I caught sight of a shadowy figure at the top of the steps. The figure remained unmoving, becoming more in focus as my wide eyes watched him in terror. His pale blue eyes returned my stare, boring into me like he was the hunter, and I was his prey. All sounds around me faded to a dull hum, and shivers of fear began to undulate down my spine.

It was my attacker, Armitage Hux. There was no mistaking his stark white hair and worn jean jacket draped about his shoulders. My fellow classmates weaved their paths around him and down the stairs as if he wasn't even there, totally oblivious to the danger within their midst.

Suddenly, he held out a pallid hand toward me, and dread filled my entire being.

"I see you," he said in a menacing voice, his cracked lips morphing into an evil smirk.

In that split second, I turned and flew down the stairs, my heart racing within my chest. The binder and Women's Lit textbook I had been carrying in my arms dropped to the ground without a second thought.

"Rey, what the fu-" Rose's voice trailed after me as I bolted out the building and ran straight down the sidewalk toward the rear parking lot, the raindrops lightly dousing my face and hair as I went.

"Aunt Amilyn!" I screamed at the top of my lungs, darting towards her black Mercedes in the middle of the parking lot. She immediately exited her car, running toward me and fingering the gun in the holster at her hip.

"What happened?" She demanded, protectively placing his arms out to shield me. She turned her head toward me when I didn't answer, drops of rain dripping off her purple curls. "Tell me right now, Rey!"

"In the building at the top of the stairs!" I said, shaking my head and trying to gasp for air. "Short white hair… dirty jean jacket! It's him!"

"Stay here!" Amilyn ordered, gripping the gun in her right palm, and sprinted toward the Humanities Building at lightning speed. I watched as my fellow students scattered to grant her passage into the building, dumbfounded looks plastered across their faces.

"Dude, what was that all about? My hair's totally ruined; I just had extensions put in!" Rose joined me, panting and holding her sides as she struggled to breathe. Then she perked up, focusing on something behind us. "Well, never mind. Hello, biceps!"

I turned my gaze back to the parking lot to see what had caught Rose's attention so unexpectedly.

A familiar figure had pulled up to the curb on a black motorcycle. My heart leapt in my chest immediately at the sight.

Ben sat on his bike, arms folded across his chest, looking off toward the street. Suddenly, his head pivoted in our direction, and a soft smile tugged at the corner of his mouth when his eyes met mine.

"Dude, wonder how old he is. He's definitely not a student," Rose said, her voice sounding distant. "Hey, do you know that guy, Rey?"

"More than you know," I whispered, almost at a loss for words. I unconsciously began walking toward him as if I was being drawn to him by an invisible magnet.

The patter of rain was coming down even harder, completely soaking my clothes, as I neared the curb. I didn't care. Ben was there, and that was all that mattered at the moment. The heart-stopping incident on the stairs was long forgotten.

"Rey?" Rose's questioning voice made me halt my footsteps. "What the hell are you doing? We have class!"

Her pleas were useless; I was unshakably mesmerized by the sight before me. Wild horses couldn't have dragged me away.

Ben and I were both silent for a few moments as I watched the raindrops run down his cheekbones and roll off his plump lips. A shudder erupted throughout my body, and a painful longing to feel those lips pressed against mine once again streamed relentlessly through my veins.

"I can't believe you're here," I managed to say, incredulously. I could now feel the moisture from the sudden downpour bleeding into the fabric of my shoes as I stood on the wet grass. "Did you bust out?"

"They let me go." Ben smirked, rising off the bike, and winking. "On good behavior."

"Is that right?" I smiled, never taking my eyes off him. 

He sighed, his expression turning serious. "I had to see you."

I bit my lip, watching the raindrops soak his white t-shirt, making it cling to the contours of his muscular chest.

"I've missed you," I said, my body already responding to the sight of him.

"You don't have any idea how much I've missed you, Rey," Ben said, his deep brown eyes piercing right through me.

I felt my nipples harden, and a consuming fire kindle between my legs from just one look into his smoldering eyes.

"Do you have class now, or...?"

Before he could finish his question, I grabbed the spare helmet off the back of his bike and began fastening the buckle under my chin.

With a chuckle, Ben mounted the bike, helping me climb onto the seat behind him. He loudly revved the engine, and I hooked my arms around his waist, thrilled just to be touching any part of him again.

"Rey, what the hell are you doing?" Aunt Amilyn hurried to meet us at the curb, stamping her right foot, the gun still in her hand. "What would your grandfather say?"

I turned to give my aunt an apologetic look, but instead, noticed the priceless, thunderstruck expression on Rose's face. I smiled in victory, having finally rendered her speechless, and relaxed my head against Ben's warm back.

Seconds later, Ben and I sped out of the parking lot on his bike, just as Amilyn placed both hands on top of her head in defeat.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So do you think what Rey saw at the top of the stairs was real or an invention of her guilty conscience? Ready for some reunion smexin' in the next chapter? LOL Thought so. I just wanted to add that I LOVE Rose and Kelly Marie Tran, so please don’t flame me for the way her character is portrayed here. Let me know what you thought. ~Dazzy xxoo


	13. One Step Closer

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> When we left off...
> 
> Ben was cleared of blame for the murders of Kaydel and Dopheld. He went to Richmond to see Rey despite Obi-Wan's objections. Rey was heading to class at her college when she thought she saw Hux at the top of the stairs. She raced outside only to see Ben waiting for her on his motorcycle. Despite her aunt Amilyn calling after her, she hopped on the back of his bike and they sped off together.

_"Mistrust makes life difficult. Trust makes it risky."_

 

_~Mason Cooley_

 

~.~.~.~

 

 

**Chapter 13: One Step Closer**

 

**Rey's POV**

 

I held tightly to Ben's waist as we pounded the wet pavement away from the Richmond city limits. The early afternoon shower had graciously subsided a few miles back, and we were now beyond the thick blanket of rainclouds.

Resting my helmeted head against Ben's back, I closed my eyes and relished in the soothing heat that radiated from his body. I couldn't believe he was here with me. There were so many things I wanted to ask him; so many things I wanted to know. A nervous knot pitted in my stomach, for I didn't quite know the nature of his sudden release from prison. Ben had joked back at the university that he'd been released on 'good behavior.' Cops didn't just let presumably-guilty murderers out of jail based on their behavior. Still, I wondered what could have happened back in Jakku to cause Obi-Wan to let Ben go. Had they found new evidence to exonerate him of Kaydel and Dopheld's murders?

My mind continued to reel as Ben suddenly steered his black motorcycle into the parking lot of an old, quaint-looking motel. I raised my head from his back and took in the motel's appearance, frowning. Even though I was happy he'd brought me to a place where we could be alone, the motel reminded me of something straight out of an Alfred Hitchcock movie.

Ben pulled into a parking space toward the far end of the one-story motel and killed the engine, using his left foot to release the sidestand. Removing my helmet, I hopped off the bike and glanced toward the motel's flashing, neon sign.

"You sure this place wasn't called the Bates Motel at one time?" I turned to Ben, flashing him a smile, and handed my helmet to him.

"I'm quite sure." He flirtingly winked and took the helmet from my hands. I heard him chuckle quietly to himself as he fastened it back in place on his bike. "It's all I could afford with the cash I grabbed from my house. I didn't want to use any credit cards."

"Why not?" I looked up at the sun peeking out from behind the clouds, extending my arms at my sides to soak up its drying warmth.

Ben cleared his throat and sighed. "I didn't want to risk Obi-Wan tracking us here."

"He doesn't know you came to Richmond?" I asked, dropping my arms. "You really busted out, didn't you?"

"No." He laughed. "Obi-Wan let me go when an extra set of prints were found on my rifle. Witnesses even came forward. They saw me driving toward Chandrila when the murders supposedly happened. There just wasn't enough evidence to hold me any longer."

"Really? They know you didn't do it?" I questioned him, my happiness returning. I was so relieved to know that Detective Canady no longer suspected Ben of the murders. I couldn't keep the joy I felt from breaking out across my face.

"Yes, they do," Ben simply said, mirroring my smile. His smile slowly retracted as his brown eyes looked me up and down. He blinked and leaned against his bike, crossing his arms over his chest. "Obi-Wan granted my release and warned me not to come here."

"He told you not to see me," I whispered, my smile fading, and fingered the gold locket around my neck.

"Yes… but I couldn't stay away," he admitted, pulling me to him and linking his arms around my waist. "I had to see you again."

I shivered as our rain-soaked bodies came in contact. With Ben leaning against the bike, we were now at eye level. Ben looked deeply into my eyes, running his hands up and down the sides of my torso. My heart pounded as he leaned forward, stopping only a whisper away from my mouth. I could smell his sweet breath waft across my face, intoxicating me, and I felt almost lightheaded.

"I really like that dress on you, Rey," Ben said, not diverting his attention from my eyes.

"Amilyn picked it out." I wrapped my arms around his neck in an attempt to close the unbearable distance between us. "She took me shopping yesterday."

"She has good taste, but-" Ben paused, leaning even closer to my lips, and then whispered in my left ear, "I think I'd like that dress even more if it were off of you instead."

It didn't take another breath for Ben's lips to find mine. He immediately stood up from the bike and hoisted me into his burly arms, my legs hooked around his waist. Carrying me toward our motel room, Ben broke away from my lips briefly to unlock the door. He flung the door open, using his foot to close it heftily behind him.

Inside the musty room, Ben threw me up against the wall, shoving his hands up the skirt of my dress. His lips never left mine as he ferociously ripped away my panties and tossed them aside.

"God, Rey, I want you." Ben moved his lips to my neck, sucking at my pulse point. He pressed himself even further against me. "Feel that… do you feel how much I want you?"

My eyes rolled to the back of my head as I felt his erection grind against my throbbing center. I gulped, knowing that I wanted him just as much, if not more. We hadn't seen each other for almost three days, yet it felt like an eternity.

"I want you, too, Ben. So fucking much," I breathed as he slowly slithered my dress up to my waist, revealing all that I had to offer him.

I stretched my arms out at my sides along the wall to steady my body as Ben unbuckled his pants and shook them down his legs, along with his briefs, to the floor. He didn't waste any time; I soon felt him carefully slide into me, filling me completely. I sucked in a breath and felt my walls begin to throb all around him. I didn't think our reunion called for a session of lovemaking; I wanted something more passionate, more aggressive. More intense.

"Fuck me, Ben," I said in a whimper, trying to remember to breathe, and repositioned my hands on his shoulders.

I felt a firm hand grip me by the chin and push my head to the wall.

"What did you say?" he bellowed into my face.

I looked at him with disbelieving eyes at his violent gesture, my body still aching with desire. "Fuck me, Ben. Please, baby..."

Ben pressed his nose to mine, his eyes intently searching mine. The grip tightened on my chin. "Is that really you, Rey?"

"Of course it's me, Ben," I said and pressed my lips to his, wondering what the hell had gotten into him, I impatiently thrust my hips forward and hoped it would ease whatever worry was running through his mind. He had never shown the slightest bit of aggression toward me before now.

I moved my lips to his left ear, whispering, "Now, fuck me."

I then took his earlobe between my lips and sucked hard. That was all it took.

Ben plastered me back up against the wall, pressing himself all the way inside me to the hilt. I moaned as he then pulled back and rammed into me once again.

"More," I yelped, relishing in the new sensations and desires now rushing through my veins. His brief moment of aggression was long forgotten. Ben began to move faster, pinning my hands above my head and crushing his lips to mine.

"Do you like me fucking you, Rey?" His husky voice hissed against my neck as he took a much needed breath. His words sent electrified pulses all the way to my waist.

"Yes, Ben… oh, God, Ben, harder!" I screamed, not fully believing the words that were escaping my mouth.

In one swift movement, Ben grabbed me by the hips and flung me onto the bed positioned against the opposite wall. He pried my legs from around his waist and raised them to his shoulders, carefully removing each of my ballet flats. Positioning himself at my entrance, Ben gently glided back into me.

"Oh, fuck," I murmured as he filled me this time. The pressure had intensified tenfold.

"You like that?" Ben smiled devilishly, his face twisting in pleasure. He roughly thrust his hips against me over and over again, pulling almost all the way out and then crashing back into my sex, my legs balanced on his shoulders.

"Yes, oh, God!" I ran my hands up to my breasts and began to tease my nipples atop the silk fabric of my dress. Ben was hitting spots inside me I never knew existed; I could hardly fathom how amazingly euphoric I felt at the moment.

"Shit, Rey! Oh, fuck," Ben growled, pushing slightly forward against my legs. I almost lost my sanity as I felt him empty his seed inside me.

Placing a hand to my warm forehead, I giggled when the realization hit me.

"What?" Ben asked, his voice weak, and slid out of me, carefully dropping my legs. He pulled up his pants and collapsed onto the bed beside me, not bothering to fasten them. "I know… I'm sorry. It's been a few days since we-"

"No, it's not that. It's just… I thought you said you would prefer this dress off me instead, yet you made no effort whatsoever to remove it," I coyly remarked, and rolled onto my side to face him.

"Well," he said, laughing, and leaning forward to press a kiss to my lips, "I didn't hear one complaint, now did I?"

"No, I guess you didn't," I replied, propping my head up on my elbow.

"I hope it wasn't too rough. I can get carried away sometimes." Ben ran his hand up the inside of my bare leg, finally pausing just inches away from my sweet spot. My skin broke out in gooseflesh at his touch.

"It was perfect," I spoke breathlessly, my body presently ready to receive him again. "My panties on the other hand..."

"Oops." Ben's smile stretched across his face. Then his expression turned stern. "And I'm sorry for questioning if it was you or not. I can't believe I snapped like that with you. It's just… I had a nightmare yesterday and it-"

"Say no more, Ben," I assured him, trying to fight the urge to grab his hand and shove it further up my leg. "Believe me; I've had my f-fair share of nightmares. I completely understand."

"Right," Ben paused, appearing thoughtful, his shoulders immediately relaxed. "Why don't I make it up to you by moving this conversation to the shower?" His eyebrows curved upward in anticipation, and his hand inched up slightly between my legs. "I mean, we did drive all the way here in the rain."

I didn't answer him in words. Instead, I shooed away his hand and stood up from the bed, reaching behind my back. My fingers soon found the zipper at the nape of my neck and slowly lowered it to my waist.

Ben watched me with wide eyes as I shimmied out of the black-and-white striped dress, letting it drop carelessly to the floor. I hadn't worn a bra that morning, so I now stood before him completely nude.

"You wanted me out of that dress, right?" I asked in an innocent tone, placing my hands behind my head and striking a sexy pose.

Ben's mouth fell open like a twelve-year-old boy who had just seen his first pair of boobs, and he frantically nodded.

Knowing I had him right where I wanted him, I turned on my heel and strutted toward the bathroom.

"Well, come and get it."

 

~.~

 

"Ben, can I ask you something?" I broke the silence as Ben began massaging a palmful of the motel's complimentary shampoo into my hair.

"Anything," he answered, bringing the shampoo into a lather.

"How come you've never used a condom with me?" I bluntly asked. "I mean, it never even crossed my mind because I'm on the pill, but I was just wondering why you never brought it up."

Ben sighed and ran his fingers through my hair.

"I knew you were on the pill," he confessed dejectedly.

I turned to face him. "What? How did you-"

"I saw your pills when all that stuff fell out of your bag that first night we met - when that asshole tried to have his way with you against your Jeep," Ben said, averting his attention back to rinsing the suds out of my hair. "Kaydel used to take them when we were together, so I know what they look like."

"Oh," I muttered and closed my eyes as his hands swept through my wet tresses under the steady spray. I knew it was reckless not to use extra protection at my stage in life, but some part of me really didn't care as long as I was with Ben. I knew he would be there for me no matter what happened.

"I'm sorry, Rey," Ben said, placing his hands on my shoulders. I opened my eyes, only to see a look of self-disgust painted on his face. "I should've been more responsible. If you want me to use one from now on or pull out before-"

I silenced him with my lips and then pulled away. "Never. I want to feel you, Ben. Every part of you."

I ran my hands down his wet chest, my fingers lingering on his abs for several seconds, before moving down to his waist.

"No." Ben forcefully grabbed my wrists. I looked at him in bewilderment as a seductive grin shot across his face. "It's your turn. You didn't come earlier."

Spinning me back around, Ben raised my arms and locked them around his neck from behind. The constant shower of hot water cascaded down the length of my body, only to help set the mood even further. He traced a line down each arm, all the way to my chest, with the backs of his hands. A tingly chill rippled across my skin, ignited by his calloused, yet gentle, fingertips. 

Reaching my chest, he tenderly cupped my breasts with both of his large hands. I threw my head back against his shoulder as he began to pinch and twist my nipples, causing the moisture to seep between my legs.

"Ben," my lips parted with the word, my breath ragged. "Please..."

"Tell me what you want, baby," Ben's husky voice breathed onto my neck.

"I want you to make love to me," I paused as he soothed my nipples with the pads of his thumbs, "w-with your hands."

"Mmm," Ben hummed, lazily trailing his fingers down to my bellybutton, pausing momentarily. "Your wish is my command."

My breath caught in my throat as his hands spread my thighs apart, slightly grazing my folds with the tips of his strong fingers.

"I love you, Rey." Ben kissed the skin between my neck and shoulder blade. "You're all I've ever wanted."

"I love you, too, Ben." I turned my head so that I could kiss him on the lips. 

He then plunged a finger inside me, curling and twisting it, while massaging my clit with the fingers of his other hand. I was somewhat sore from our little romp against the wall, but the pleasure of being intimate with him again soon overruled any sensitivity I felt.

Ben growled, pumping his finger even faster. "You're always so fucking wet… shit."

"Uh, uh, you make me this way, baby," I panted as the pressure began to gradually build between my legs. I reached forward and hooked my hands around the steel bar under the showerhead, bucking my hips against the force of his fingers. "Oh, God, Ben… yes, right there."

"Right here," Ben responded, obligingly pinching my swollen clit and crooking the finger inside me at the same time. I nearly came undone at the seams.

"Yes, fuck." My knees almost buckled beneath me as unbridled pleasure shot through my body.

"Come, Rey," Ben howled, nipping at my neck with his teeth, continuing to tease me with his fingers. I could now feel him grinding himself against my ass. "Scream my name as you come, baby."

Needing no further encouragement, I soared toward my peak at his lust-filled words, my walls clenching around his finger. My eyes blinked as my vision suddenly burst into a thousand black spots.

"Yes, Ben! OH, FUCK YES!" I weakly leaned back against his chest, hardly able to stand, as I came down from my high. I released the bar in front of me and ran my hands through my soaked hair.

Kissing the side of my head, Ben said, "I could listen to you say my name forever."

"Me, too," I admitted between uneven breaths. Slowly regaining my strength, I pivoted my body to face him. "Your turn now."

"Mmm, I like the sound of that," Ben grunted with a smile, clasping his hands onto my head, as I knelt before him.

 

~.~

 

"I wanted to show you something," Ben spoke, mindlessly stroking my arm as we lay on top of the bed, towels wrapped around our freshly-cleaned bodies. He reached over to the nightstand and retrieved his wallet. "Remember this?"

Delving into the billfold section of his wallet, Ben removed what appeared to be a wallet-sized photo. He held it up in the small trickle of sunlight shining through the shaded window. It was the same picture Ben found in Hux's wallet that night by the cliffs. It was a picture of me - my senior portrait from high school.

"Yeah." I nervously swallowed, feeling my anxiety return despite my post-coital bliss. What a perfect time to bring up the events of that terrible night. I just wanted to forget that it ever happened - at least for now anyway. Ben and I were together again, and I didn't want to ruin the moment by dredging up the past.

"I took it from Hux's wallet before we dumped his body over the cliffs," Ben continued, sighing. "I put it in my pocket and didn't realize I still had it until yesterday, when Obi-Wan handed back my personal effects. I forgot I had put it in my wallet."

"It doesn't really mean anything. We already know someone is out to get me - to get us both - for Hux's murder," I tried to convince myself more than him.

"Well, look at this," Ben said. "You know how pictures tend to stick together when you have them in a wallet for a while..."

He flipped the picture over and held it up again.

On the opposite side of the portrait, a young woman with beautiful blue eyes and long, curly, golden hair stared back at me. She was absolutely breathtaking, but her smile seemed almost menacing in nature. I took the picture from Ben's hand to inspect it closer.

"Who is she, Ben?"

"Her name's Gwendoline," Ben revealed, laying back against the pillows and tucking his hands behind his head. "Gwendoline Phasma."

"How do you know her name?" I asked, looking from the picture to Ben. "Do you know her?"

He rose up from the bed, taking the joined pictures from my hand, and peeled them apart. He then handed me the two separate photos. I turned over the redhead's picture, and sure enough, scribbled on the back in legible script was the name, Gwendoline Phasma, and a date, 1998.

"Do you think she's behind this, Ben?" I questioned, glancing back at the photo of the woman named Gwendoline. I wondered what wicked schemes lay just beyond those haunting, emerald-green eyes.

"I don't know." Ben ran his thumb down my face from forehead to chin, before dropping his hand to his lap. "I did a little online research at the university's library. I couldn't find much, but I did find an address. It's about forty-five minutes from here. Might be worth checking out."

"Ben, why would we seek her out? She's already out to get us. We can't just show up on her doorstep. That would be suicide!" I threw the pictures haphazardly onto the mattress and stood up, beginning to pace. I couldn't believe what he was saying. "Why would you even suggest such a thing? She killed your ex-girlfriend, Ben!"

"We don't know that for sure, Rey," Ben reasoned, joining me beside the bed, and placed a calming hand on my shoulder. "She could just be a family member, cousin, ex-girlfriend-"

"Wife," I added softly, biting my bottom lip. I could feel tears starting to pool in my eyes. Ben brushed the damp curls back from my shoulder and sweetly kissed my forehead.

"I didn't mean to upset you," Ben said in a soothing voice, lightly massaging my shoulders. "I just thought she might be able to help us. Maybe she can give us some information about Hux - maybe enough information to lead us to whoever's behind this."

"I don't have a good feeling about this, Ben." I looked up at him through a blurred veil of tears. "Didn't Obi-Wan tell us to leave this mystery to the private investigator to solve?"

"The private investigator doesn't have this picture," Ben considered. "I don't think Obi-Wan even told him about Hux's murder to begin with. It would only incriminate me if the body was found. He's looking into the Chevelle that was following us."

"I don't know," I whispered, my body shaking slightly.

"I think it's worth a try. Why don't we just drive out there? If you're still feeling uneasy about it, we'll come back here. I promise," Ben offered with a kind smile.

I nodded in response, and Ben pulled me to him, embracing me with his warm, strong arms. I rested my head against his shoulder and hoped with all my heart that he was right.

 

~.~

 

The next morning, Ben and I decided to drive back to Richmond so I could grab a change of clothes and other personal items I needed from my dorm. Then, we would head toward the small town of Takodana to see if Gwendoline Phasma could give us any information on Hux.

As we pulled into the parking lot outside my dormitory, the uneasy feeling I'd had my first day back in Richmond settled over me once again. I wondered if my aunt Amilyn would be waiting for me when I climbed the three flights of stairs to my dorm room. I could already sense her judging eyes on me.

"You want me to come with you?" Ben suggested, helping me off the bike.

I looked up at the dreary, brick building, using my right hand to shade my eyes from the gleaming sunlight, and turned back to him.

"No, I think I'll be okay. Be right back." I sighed and started walking toward the building, but Ben reached out to grab my hand.

"Five minutes," he firmly whispered. "Not a second more. If you're not back by then, I'm coming in after you."

Ben pulled up his shirt to reveal a silver handgun tucked into the waistband of his jeans.

My eyes went wide in surprise. "Ben, where did you get-"

"It's my dad's, Rey. Just a precaution," Ben said, lowering his shirt and still holding onto my hand. "We don't know who else is out there, and I'm not taking any chances with my life or yours."

He nodded and gently squeezed my hand. I took that as my cue, letting go of his hand, and hurried up to the front steps of Jeter Hall.

Ascending the three flights of stairs, I began to make a mental list of items I needed from my room. As I opened the door to the third floor, a familiar figure stepped into the doorway, holding out an arm to block my passage. My heart fell in my chest, and I gasped as the figure's hand latched onto my arm.

"Rey, where the hell have you been?" Amilyn's voice was livid. "I have been worried sick!"

"Sorry, Aunt Amilyn," I said after catching my breath. "I just had to see Ben again."

"I don't think it's a good idea for you to be with him, Rey," Amilyn bellowed. Her eyes softened as she released my arm. "He was the suspect of a double homicide investigation."

"Ben was found innocent," I told her and pushed my way past her, rushing to my single room near the end of the hall. "He'll keep me safe. Don't worry."

"Well, what about school? You can't just ditch school for some guy, Rey!" my aunt called and followed me down the hall as I turned the key to unlock my door. Several students standing in the hallway gave us curious looks.

"I'll catch up. It's more important that Ben and I find out as much as we can about my parents' death," I tried to reason with her, entering my room.

I immediately went to my dresser and began pulling out several pairs of jeans and t-shirts, throwing them into my canvas messenger bag. Satisfied that I had what I needed, I grabbed a comfortable pair of shoes and headed toward the door to leave, but Amilyn blocked my way with her firm arm once again.

"Rey, I'm begging you to reconsider. Please… do it for Obi-Wan," my aunt pleaded with me. "You're all he's got left..."

"You haven't told Obi-Wan, have you?" I questioned, worry beginning to enter my brain. I didn't want Obi-Wan to know I was with Ben; he'd told me when Ben was arrested to stay away from him.

"No, I haven't. I was hoping you'd come back before I had to." Aunt Amilyn's voice was stern. "But if you leave again, I'll have no other choice. He left you under my protection and trusted me with your safety. That's all I care about right now."

"Amilyn, please trust me," I begged, looking at her with desperation in my eyes. "Ben loves me; he won't let anything happen to me. You have to trust me. Please!"

After several seconds, my aunt finally sighed, dropping her arm.

"Okay, but please don't make me regret this," Amilyn said through clenched teeth, stepping aside to grant my passage into the hallway.

"Thank you." I stood on my tiptoes to place a small kiss to her right cheek.

With those final words, I darted back down the hallway, draping my messenger bag over my shoulder as I went. I flew down the stairs and out the front entrance of the dormitory, my eyes transfixing on Ben as he stood by his bike.

"Rey! You're back!" The voice made me turn my head to the right, and I caught sight of Poe running toward me. He stopped a few feet away from me when he spied Ben by the curb, anger evident in his expression. "What's _he_ doing here?"

"He's with me, Poe, and we were just leaving." I held up a hand in dismissal and hurried toward Ben's bike. Poe's behavior had been somewhat suspicious over the past few days, and I wasn't about to let him near me again.

"No, Rey, he murdered his ex-girlfriend and her lover! He should be behind bars!" Poe's arm clasped onto mine, pulling me back toward the building. He screamed into my face, holding my arm in a vice grip, "How can you even trust him after what he did!"

"Ow, you're hurting me, Poe! Let me go!" I tried to free myself from his tightening arm to no avail.

"Get your damn hands off her!" Ben came to my rescue, grabbing Poe forcefully by the neck from behind, his elbow curled underneath Poe's chin. "Who the fuck do you think you are!"

I shut my eyelids firmly and used all the strength I could muster to kick Poe right between the legs, causing Ben to release him. Poe's body fell almost weightlessly to the sidewalk below.

"You fucking bitch!" Poe yelled, grasping his groin area and wailing back and forth on the hard ground.

I stumbled backward, my mind in a daze, not fully believing that I'd been the one to save myself from harm this time. However, Poe's hurtful words had cut me deeply, and I immediately felt remorse for what I'd done. With an outstretched hand, I knelt down to help him to his feet.

"Let's get out of here, Rey," Ben instructed, a smug expression etched across his lips, and stopped my arm before it could reach Poe.

I looked up, noticing a small crowd of onlookers had gathered, and then glanced back at Poe, who was now screaming indecipherable phrases in Spanish at the top of his lungs. I realized in that split-second that we had to get the hell out of there before someone called the campus police.

Taking hold of Ben's waiting hand, I stood and hurriedly mounted his bike. I didn't even bother with the helmet and hooked my arms around Ben's waist, wanting nothing more than to get as far away from this place as I could.

"You don't know how much that turned me on," Ben whispered over his shoulder, before revving the engine and zooming out of the dorm's parking lot.

I smiled an uneasy grin as we fled the college campus and sped onto the highway, heading north. I'd known Poe for an entire year, and he'd never shown any violence toward me before. I couldn't shake the feeling that Amilyn had been right about him all along.

The more I thought about it, there was no doubt left in my mind. Poe had definitely had something to do with Kaydel and Dopheld's murders.

 

~.~

 

We reached the quaint town of Takodana, Virginia, at about noon that same day. The town was nestled near Bear Creek Lake, a state park that was off the beaten path. I remembered traveling to that same lake on a fishing trip once with my parents long ago. I released a sigh at the thought as Ben steered his Harley onto a side road just on the outskirts of town.

The gravel road looped around a small hill covered with trees in various shades of brown and green. As we neared the apex of the hill, I looked over Ben's shoulder to see an old, Victorian house gradually come into focus. It appeared to be quite unkempt and dilapidated. Angry vines grew in all directions around the exterior of the house, and the once-white painted surface carried a slight brownish tint. There were no cars in the cracked, weed-infested driveway, and I silently hoped our trail wasn't leading to a dead end.

Ben pulled the bike in front of the house and turned off the engine, balancing its weight on the sidestand.

"Remember our cover story?" Ben asked, glancing back at me, his eyes squinting in the beaming sunlight.

"Yes," I answered as I dismounted the bike, taking Ben's hand.

I went over the story again in my head to make sure I didn't forget any detail before we reached the front steps. We were posing as a married couple, just passing through town, in desperate need of a restroom.

Hand in hand, Ben and I walked toward the two-story house, not quite knowing what to expect. The house looked like something straight out of _The Texas Chainsaw Massacre_. I laughed quietly to myself at the thought. It was pretty ironic, considering the week Ben and I had just experienced.

Taking the front steps one at a time, we staggered onto the front porch and quickly broke apart. I darted my eyes around the porch, noticing several dead plants in numerous stages of decay positioned on the wooden surface. The loose floorboards creaked underneath our feet as we inched closer to the cobweb-covered doorway.

Ben and I shared an anxious glance, and he motioned for me to knock on the door. I warily raised my hand to knock, when the door unexpectedly opened, startling us both. I gasped, placing a hand over my heart to keep it from leaping out of my chest.

"The sign says 'no soliciting.'" A short, gray-haired woman with stunning brown eyes stuck her head out the cracked door to speak and then swiftly closed it.

I looked over at the picture window to my left and noticed the black and orange sign taped to the glass from the inside. Sensing my uneasiness, Ben took the initiative.

"Ma'am, we were looking for Gwendoline Phasma," Ben called to her, giving me an apologetic look. Well, I guessed our cover story was shot to hell. "Does she live here?"

A few moments of silence passed, and then the wooden door languidly crept open once again.

"What wants to know?" the elderly woman's voice questioned from behind the door. "What business do you have with her?"

"Ma'am," I spoke up, saying the first thing that came to mind, my voice sounding somewhat shaky, "my name is Daisy Johnson, and this is my husband, Adam. We are old friends of hers."

"Did you work with her at the hospital?" The woman's wrinkled face now appeared in the crevice of the open door, her eyes wild in suspicion. The features around her eyes resembled those of the woman in the picture, but she was much too old to be Gwendoline. Maybe this woman was her mother.

"Y-yes, ma'am," I replied, going along with it, and looked to Ben for assurance. "We were very c-close. I would very much like to see her again."

Ben nodded in agreement, and I turned back to the old woman, anticipating her answer.

"Oh, sweetie, I'm sorry to tell you this," the woman began, her tone softening, "but Gwen passed away almost five years ago this past December."

The smile soon faded from my lips, and my heart rate climbed to dizzying heights at her words. Gwendoline  Phasma was dead, and her picture had been placed in my attacker's wallet for a reason, as was mine. The image of Hux's pale blue eyes flashed before me, solidifying what I already knew in my heart.

My parents weren't Armitage Hux's only victims; there was no telling how many had come before or how many had come after them. Or how many could have been.

I closed my eyes, remembering his dead body as it tumbled down the cliffs.

Someone was out to finish what he had started.

* * *

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for reading! Sorry to all of you who thought Phasma was the mastermind behind the scenes here. LOL Any other guesses or thoughts? I'd love to hear them.


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